In The Available Light
by Sar-kaz-m
Summary: FINISHED AT LAST! Reposted edited. Glen Rowe is a NYC Model. He's also Suzaku no Tasuki reincarnated! When Yui Hongo, reporter for the fashion mag TokyoLook, comes to New York, sparks start to fly! Dedicated to Kittylynne and Otaku Pitcher!
1. Chapter 1: In The Available Light

In The Available Light

AN: Strangely enough, this is going to be Tasuki/Yui. Talk about your alternate couples, but something made me think they'd do well together. Also, there is no EikoDen. None. Alternate Reality.

_This is a Repost – with the song lyrics removed. However, I will be posting the title of the song originally chosen for each chapter. I worked very very hard on picking the right song for each piece, so please, do check out LyricSafedotCom to read the lyrics. All songs are by the band Rush._

Chapter One: "In The Available Light"

Ya wanna know the worst part? I remember it all.

I can't figure when it started. Like, ever since I was a kid I knew that this wasn't really me. I remember getting into so much shit in Sunday school when I'd tell the fat lady teacher that Jesus Christ wasn't my god. My god was called Suzaku and was a big red bird.

I got beat for that. My family wasn't exactly rich, OK? Instead of therapy, I got beat. Believe me, I learned to keep my mouth shut pretty quick.

Speaking of family, same shit there too! Ma, older sisters, and a dad you couldn't see if you walked into him. I musta been about ten when I looked around and realized Damn! Same shit, different life!

Even my name, which when I realized it, I thought was pretty fucking funny. I mean, you get one life called one thing – right, so the name I was born with didn't mean dick that time, but this time, it's OK. I'll stick with it.

Anyways, by the time I was ten I remembered most of it. It got worse from there, though. Like, when I hit puberty, and every other guy in the neighborhood was having wet dreams about J.Lo or whoever, I was waking up with the cold sweats from nightmares about……

Shit, I sure as hell wish I didn't get back some memories. How the fuck is a guy supposed to deal with wanting to get laid when every time he dreams, he relives practically raping the girl he loves and nearly killing one of his best buddies?

And that's a whole other problem. I can't figure if I still love Miaka or not. I mean, I don't even know if she's alive, right? I know I'm here, born and living in her world, but some things in my head are still stuck in Konan. How am I supposed to even know if this is the right lifetime?

Let's not go there. I mean, I was lonely enough growing up, thanks, with all this shit in my head. Every dream was a little bit more remembering. The last straw was remembering Nuriko. I'm 14, I'm spazzing out, grieving for the death of a friend from another lifetime and what do I get? Ma gave me the beating of my life on that one. I ran away the next day.

So, 14 and on the streets. Fucking great. Same Shit, Different Life.

Not like I'm not ass-sim-il-ated, ya know? I'm not stupid. This time, I stayed the hell away from gangs, thanks. This ain't Mount Reikaku, this is New York City. Guy could get himself shot, screwing around with gangs. I made my own way, kept my head down.

Wasn't so bad, sometimes. Like, I was 15 when I met Kurt. Knew in a heartbeat who he was. He looked exactly the same. Except, instead of being another street kid like me, like we were then, he was a volunteer at the shelter. Nice Catholic boy, doing probation on a graffiti charge. He even had the scar, only this time, instead of getting it fighting a demon, he got it from the fence he tried to get away over when he got busted.

Actually, he's a damn good artist. I can't remember if Kouji could draw…..

Shit, now I'm wanting memories. Fuck.

Anyway, fast forward to Age 19. Bouncing from shit job to shit job. Kurt and I shared a pad, a cheap ass flat in Chinatown. I was delivering takeout for cash. Kurt was a housepainter and playing 'starving artist'. Still, it was pretty cool. We'd become good pals, just like before, but I made damn sure I didn't let on about that. I mean, Kurt's a good guy and all, but he doesn't remember a damn thing. And that hurt, it really did. Like I got someone back, but not really. I was still lonely, inside. I kinda knew why, too. Kouji was a brother to me, but he wasn't one of Suzaku's chosen. I knew I wasn't ever gonna feel better until I found the others.

So, then the question became, How? I was a bum. I barely kept a roof over my head, I lived on leftovers from the restaurant. My one extravagant purchase was a tattoo on my arm. Oh, hell yeah, I put that mark right back on! I wasn't taking any chances that someone might spot me, spot the yoku, and KNOW. I had to make sure. Because, I didn't know – maybe somewhere, someone was looking for me too. I had to keep hoping. Otherwise I'd lose it.

I lost it before, ya know. See, I was the last. Spent my life alone after everything. Lost Kouji from a poisoned arrow some rival gang member nailed him with. I burned that fucker dead. Chichiri stopped coming around after a while. I had thought he'd gone to help rebuild Kotou. Typical monk. Finally, 'bout ten years later, I'm sitting in the hideout, giving orders, right? And suddenly, I get this feeling like a punch in the gut. Next thing I know, I'm screaming like a lunatic. My own lieutenant knocked me out cold. The next day, I gear up and make trails for Eiyo, for the great shrine. I get there, and there's Boushin, Hotohori's kid. Houki, too, crying her eyes out when she sees me. Turns out Chichiri saved them from assassins, and got himself killed in the process.

I went a little bit nuts. Fuck that, I went a LOT nuts, OK? Went into the shrine, screaming my head off for Suzaku or that ugly witch to bring him back, bring my brothers back. I wouldn't let anyone near me, anyone touch me. I ranted for hours. Then finally, I figured that Suzaku really didn't give a shit any more, and that pissed me off so much……

I don't remember being dead. I remember setting the whole damn Eiyo Shrine on fire and I remember going down with it, damn it! I remember grief, and anger, and all that shit. I remember pain when the roof collapsed on me. And then the next thing I remember is this weird memory about the piece of shit TV in the apartment my family lived in down in the Bronx when I was a kid.

TV was a way better babysitter than any of my sisters.

So, Kurt and I got into this habit of slumming around Manhattan whenever we both got a day off. Kurt, he liked to sketch the people and the buildings, and go into lobbies and stuff to check out the art they got up. Me, I figured if I'm the same, the others will be too, and Manhattan's my best chance for finding anyone. After all, I was the only criminal of us seven. Of course, I could always hit the lotto and fly to Tokyo, right? Yeah, whatever.

One day we're hanging out, and we're sitting on these steps in this big open square near Wall Street, and I spot these two dudes just STARING at us. And I'm thinking, Oh great, we're gonna get hit on by Uptown queens! We had a queen living on the floor below us. He was total drag queen, liked us to call him Big Mama. Mama's weird, but OK, since he insisted on feeding us from time to time. Anyway, these two dudes are total Uptown sharp, ya know? Just as I'm about to kick Kurt into moving along, these two walk over and start talking to us. Turns out they ARE queers, but they ain't interested in a hook up – they're scouting for a modeling agency, dig? And they're saying shit like 'Clean is Out, Scruffy is In' and they want to take pictures of me and Kurt and see if they can't get us jobs as MODELS! When I finally stopped laughing, I found out they weren't shitting us. Next thing I know, me and Kurt are standing under all these lights, and one of the uptown queens is taking our picture. I was ready to blow that, but Kurt says the magic word, and I'm hooked.

The magic word is Money. We were so broke we'd take anything. These two dudes pay us 50 bucks each and get our names. We give 'em Mama's number, since we ain't got a phone.

And I'll be damned but they did it. A week later, Mama yelled up that we got a call, and there's the other dude, Terence, not the photographer Michael, and he's saying that we're hired! This agency is gonna pay us to be models. They wanna use us for a catalog right away. So, Kurt and I think it over, and we figured what the hell, it's a living. We were gonna stick together, though. Not like we were gay or nothing, just that, well, pals are pals, and they stick together.

So, here we are. I'm 20. We're both making enough cash modeling that we moved to a nicer pad. Still by Chinatown, though – I dig that neighborhood. Kurt's in heaven, he can afford all the paints and canvas and shit he wants. We're independent now, ya know? And I'm sitting in this nice chair, staring out the window and writing my fricken memoirs here like anyone's ever gonna read this shit, or even know what the hell I'm talking about half the time! Then again, maybe someday I'll be able to show this to someone who WILL understand. I wrote down everything I remember from then in other notebooks, and now this one's my life now, here, in this world.

'Cuz you never know, right? I'm a goddamned model now. My picture's gonna be all over the country, and maybe even the world. And as soon as I can sock away enough loot, I'm off to Tokyo, and I'm gonna find Miaka and Taka, and make sure that I'm not fucking crazy, and that I really AM Tasuki of the Suzaku Seven.


	2. Chapter 2: War Paint

Chapter Two: "War Paint"

She sighed as she stared out of the car's window and toyed with the hem of her dress. She had dressed to the nines for this evening. Tomorrow was the big kick off of the Fashion Season. Tonight, the Pendleton Agency hosted its annual party to introduce its new hot models to the press. Not that she really cared – she considered herself a serious journalist, and the job with the fashion magazine was only until she could break into a real publication like Mainichi or Nikkon. Even Japan Times would be good. After all, her English was excellent. It's what won her the assignment to fly to New York City to cover Fashion Week.

Traffic slowed as the car approached the CharlesGate. She took quick stock of herself – strappy heels, check; shimmery 'nude' nylons without runs, check; the perfect "Little Black Dress" with just a hint of black lace on the hems, check; totally fake 'sapphire' and CZ jewelry, check. Her black purse held a small notebook. She glanced at her reflection in the window as the car came to a stop. Her unusually blonde hair was styled in the latest fashion – shaggy chic was in – and her gaze met her own blue-eyed stare.

"All right, Yui. Time to schmooze," she told herself as she paid the driver and made her way into the Pendleton Agency's Annual Fashion Week Kick Off Party.

She handed her invitation to the smiling young woman by the door. The girl was stunning really. Yui spared a moment to think, if this is the staff, the models must really be something. She allowed herself a single moment of terror, then stepped into the mass of humanity already busy enjoying themselves.

A receiving line was set up near the door where the owners of Pendleton Agency, Terrence Pendleton and Michael Andrews, greeted their guests.

"Yui Hongo." Yui announced herself and stuck out a hand.

"Of course! From TokyoLook, correct?" Terrence grasped her hand with both of his and gave her a huge smile. "Darling, if all the journalists of Tokyo are as gorgeous as you, we're going to have to move our offices!"

"You're too kind." Yui tried to reclaim her hand. Michael Andrews came to her rescue.

"Terry, dear, you're scaring her." To Yui he continued, "Don't mind him, he's proof positive that Brits aren't the least reserved. I have to know though – are those Valkyrie locks au naturel or the work of a godlike stylist?"

Yui smiled nervously. She was pretty sure she understood the question. "I am naturally blonde. It is rare, but not unheard of."

Michael grinned, "Absolutely fabulous, dearest! Do enjoy yourself tonight. Terry will be sure to get you some time with some of our newest faces this evening – we can't overlook opportunities in the Far East!"

A millisecond later both men were greeting the next newly arrived guest with just as much enthusiasm, leaving Yui to struggle through the hordes on her own. She quickly ducked by a chattering group and made her way straight to the ladies room.

Inside it was bit calmer. A pair of women left as she came in, leaving her to stand alone before the enormous mirror.

You can do this, Yui told herself. I got here alone, found my hotel, hailed a cab, everything. I can make it. She refused to think about the empty apartment in Tokyo, the rusted ruins of a relationship a year gone, the friends who cared and worried. She would not pray for someone to save her. She kept a tight lock on the memories of the past and the pain and the anxiety and ruined self-confidence. Yui Hongo had carefully rebuilt herself for the last 4 years, and this assignment was the next big step in becoming her own person. She would succeed. She would build a career and make something of herself and stop seeing the evil in her own heart. Someday.

A sudden noise made her spin. Stepping from a stall was a middle-aged woman, also dressed in black and gems. She gave Yui a smile and proceeded to wash up. She addressed Yui kindly.

"You must be in from overseas. Dolores O'Hara, Washington Times."

"Yui Hongo, TokyoLook."

"Oh, Japanese fashion rag? Your English is excellent."

"Thank you."

"First time at Fashion Week?" Yui nodded. Dolores smiled. "Well, stick with me for a bit, dear. I'll introduce you around."

Yui did just that, and within an hour was much more comfortable. Dolores was apparently a grand dame of the fashion scene, a newspaper reporter with a long career, and she knew everyone. Dolores happily introduced Yui to over a dozen people, giving Yui quick private asides that were VERY educational. Yui now knew that the fellow from the New York Times had no taste, the woman from Elle was a word Yui refused to repeat, and that the team from E! Television would only put her on camera if one of the hot new models was in the shot.

Yui carefully and slowly sipped her white wine and wondered what she'd gotten into. A whole new world had opened up, one with more artifice than she'd ever seen. She doubted that even Tomo could hold his own here. She spared a wince for the memory. She'd never forgiven herself for the past.

"In pain, Yui Darling?" The chipper voice of Terry Pendleton startled her. She must learn to be surprised with grace some day. Turning, she returned his smile.

"Perhaps on my feet too long." She lifted one foot and wiggled it. "Fashion before comfort after all!"

Her attempt at humor won her laughs from Pendleton and several hangers-on. Feeling a bit more accepted, Yui smiled more comfortably.

"Darling, you will be my jade key to the Orient, I swear! I shall woo you, win your approval, and you will help me throw open the doors to the oh so lucrative Japanese market!" Terrence was wagging his eyebrows and dropping kisses on the backs of Yui's hands as onlookers cheered him on. Yui decided he was all about the entertainment value, but she'd done her research and knew that Pendleton was the business and Andrews was the art. Between them, the men had practically cornered the market on new models. They were particularly astute at bringing on new faces to match new fashions.

"Very well, Terrence," Yui replied, struggling for a haughty yet humorous tone. "You can start wooing me by producing some of your new models." From behind Pendleton, Dolores sent a wink and a smile, and Yui realized she'd entered the game.

"Of course, of course! First of all, come over here." Terrence led her across the floor to another crowd of people, pushing his way through and guiding Yui up front, "Allow me to present one of our newest employees, artist, brooder, definitely one you'd think twice about bringing home to Mother, the look of Shaggy Chic, Mister Kurt Davis."

Yui found herself face to face with a young man about her age with dark blue-black hair and dark brown eyes. Actually, she thought he bore some resemblance to Taka Sukanami, except Davis's face was a bit more mature, and a startling scar ran from the corner of one eye down to his jawline. He grinned at her and extended his hand.

"Konnichiwa, Hongo-san," he said easily.

Yui nodded. "Hello, Davis-san. Though it is a bit late for 'konnichiwa'."

He chuckled charmingly. "So much for my attempt at flirtation in another language! Is this your first time to New York?"

Yui thought that this young man was definitely handsome, and definitely had an interesting look. Something dark, almost dangerous, seemed to cling to him - it must be the scar - yet she would have sworn she'd met him before. "It is my first time to New York. Have you ever been to Tokyo?"

"No, I've never been outside of New York, actually. NYC, born and bred."

Terrence wormed into the conversation. "Kurt, I don't see Glen. Where is he?"

"Around about. He'll turn up."

"Glen?" Yui asked.

"Glen Rowe. Another model, my roommate and best friend." Kurt seemed happy to give Yui all his attention. "He's around, but not very fond of shindigs like this."

Yui smiled. "A model who dislikes attention? Unusual." She didn't get to hear Kurt's reply as Terrence whisked her off to meet another new face. Ten minutes, a few meaningless superlatives, and a half dozen gorgeous faces later, Yui found herself abandoned on the edge of the crowd again with an echo of Terrence's promise to "do lunch" in her ears.

Dolores appeared beside her, handing Yui a fresh glass of wine. "In and out, you see."

"Is it always like this?"

"The meet and greets are. You schmooze hard for your ten minutes. It's harder at show receptions to get close to the designers, especially for newbies like you, but easier to get close to the models. It's particularly hard if you've come out against."

"Against?"

"If you've panned any designer in the past. But you – you're unknown, stunning yourself in a very new way, and you're Japanese, which is the newest target market. You could be a star yourself by the end of the week."

Yui's expression mirrored her anxiety. "Me? A star? I'm a journalist, not a model!"

Dolores laughed. "Which means you have all the power. They want to impress you, so they'll gain a following in Japan. Remember, you represent a whole new world to them. And your looks tell them you know your stuff." Dolores gave her a wink, then wandered off, calling out to other guests.

Yui sighed heavily. She knew she was one of the first Japanese fashion reporters to come to New York for openings. Most preferred Paris or Milan. And she was fairly certain she was the first to do the schmooze events. A star herself? Yui spotted a door that seemed to lead to a balcony or patio and made for it. She could use some air.

She stepped onto a cleverly designed patio area. The hotel was apparently built as one giant square, with the center a remarkable combination-garden-and-patio, dimly lit to allow what starlight that reached New York City to shine through. Yui made her way to a somewhat secluded bench.

"Watch it!" An irritated voice greeted her as she rounded a potted yew tree.

"I'm sorry!" Yui stammered. "Just, um, looking for some quiet."

"S'alright. Have a seat." The figure waved a hand at the bench. Yui sat and looked up at her unexpected companion. All she could make out was a slouched figure, about 5 inches taller than herself, smoking a cigarette. "You come from the madhouse?"

"Madhouse? You mean the Pendleton Agency party? Yes, I did." The figure just nodded. Emboldened, Yui asked, "Are you hiding from it too?"

"Yeah. I'm supposed be in there, charming the socks off everyone. I hate that shit."

Yui giggled a bit. This then must be the elusive Glen Rowe. "I take it you're a model."

"Ya could say that. I rather say, if they're willing to pay me to stand there, I'm willing to stand there." This time Yui laughed outright. He seemed so honest, and cool in a really cynical way. "You ain't with the agency." He made the statement a question.

"No, I'm a reporter. From Tokyo."

"No kidding?" He seemed to be excited by that. "I'd kill ta go to Tokyo!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I got friends there. Uh. Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Never mind." He flicked the cigarette butt away. "You wanna go back in?"

"Sure." Entering on the arm of a hot new model would do wonders for Yui's standing. She rose and they began to walk toward the lighted door.

"Uh, I'm Glen Rowe, by the way." Just as they hit the light, he paused and stuck out his hand.

She smiled, turning to him. "Yui Hongo."

In an instant, both were frozen, staring at one another. Everything in Yui screamed that she knew this man, she recognized him, even more so than Kurt Davis. His fair skin, amber eyes, and flame red hair seemed burned into her brain. She knew him! But how? But while her face was certainly an expression of confusion, Glen Rowe's face was a mask of shock.

His mouth moved, like he was trying to say something. Finally, he blurted out, "Yui-chan? Seiryuu No Miko?"

_Author's note: Remember, each chapter title is the name of a song by Rush. I encourage readers to look up the lyrics themselves online._


	3. Chapter 3: Animate

Chapter Three: Animate

"Yui-chan? Seiryuu No Miko?"

I had no idea what the fuck I was saying, it just came out like that! Her face went from confused to horror in point-nothing-flat.

"Who are you?" She whispered, like it was a big secret. On the other hand, she didn't seem to NOT know what I was talking about. Me, I was shaking like a damned leaf. I mean, here I am at some dumb party like some fricken southern deb-u-tant, and I meet someone I REMEMBER-remember! Jesus, this has never happened before, so what do I do?

"Uh, let's go back and sit, ok?" She nodded, and I lead us back to the bench. She was staring at me like I got two heads or something. We were just looking at each other like we don't know what to do next. So I said, "You know what that means, right?"

Her face got all tight, like she didn't want to know, but does anyway. "How did you know? Who are you?" She thought a sec, it seems, and then said "Who WERE you?"

I tell you, it was like a fucking light went on in my head! I grabbed her arms, and I was whispering just as intent as she was. "So, it's possible right? I'm not fucking crazy! It was all real, we were all there!" I guess I realized she was about an inch from hitting me, because I let go and started pacing. "I only remember seeing you like maybe twice, but Miaka used to talk about how she had to save you. I remember sorta seeing you in Kutou that time when we came for Tamahome, and then on the battlefield."

She was looking at me like I was some sort of bug she hated. I don't know, it didn't occur to me then that maybe being the Seiryuu priestess was something she wasn't proud of. I was too hyped up on finding someone I knew from Then. I certainly didn't hate her or nothing. I was so glad to find someone from Then I coulda kissed her! Finally she said, "Suzaku Seichi ….. Tasuki, wasn't it?"

I laughed out loud. "Yes!" I can't believe I did this, but I HUGGED her. I think I might have even kissed her cheek after all! I was laughing, and well, almost crying really. "You know! You remember! I'm not fucking nuts, it really was real!"

"Rowe-san, please!" Yui pushed me away and stood up. Now she was pacing and I was sitting on the bench. "Let me see if I understand. You are the reincarnation of Tasuki? But, you were never sure of it?"

"Never!" I pulled out another smoke and lit up. "All my damned life I've remembered it all, but how could I tell it wasn't some totally screwed up dream thing, like being psycho or something? I never found any of the others. Well, I'm pretty sure about Kurt, but he doesn't remember anything."

"Who was Kurt?"

"My buddy Kouji. From the bandits. I was the leader of a group of bandits, did you know that? Uh, you mighta seen them during the battle…." I had to stop. Like, then it finally occurred to me that maybe she didn't wanna talk about it. Or, not talk to ME at any rate. I was the enemy, right?

In fact, Yui didn't look good at all. She looked like she was about to like bust out crying or something. I stood up and put my hand on her shoulder. "Hey," I said, "I don't hate you or nothing, OK? I'm just so glad to find out that all the shit I had in my head my whole life is true." She still looked bad. I hate crying chicks, so I figured I'd distract her. "Ya know, Miaka said you were her best friend, but she never mentioned you were a total babe."

Now she looked at me like I had two heads and was neon green to boot, but at least she wasn't about to cry or nothing anymore. She took a step back, though. "Rowe-san…"

"Glen. Or Tasuki. Whichever." I didn't want her to be all formal. I wanted her to be a friend. It all seemed so nuts, but I remember fighting that bastard Nakago, and I remember that Yui Hongo used her last Seiryuu wish to give Miaka the power to call Suzaku. I also remember she nearly died. I don't know that I ever even thought about how life mighta turned out for her.

She looked me in the eye. "Glen. I …… I can't."

Like that she was gone. She just split! Next thing I know I'm chasing her back into the party, out the door, and watching her taxi drive away! Blew my fricken mind. I didn't think that all her memories might be bad. But then, I had this whole life to get shit straight in my head. Now I knew that only a few years had passed – and THAT was a whole weird-ass Star Trek paradox if I ever heard one. I mean, if she was about 20 too, then it's only been like 5 years for her and Miaka, but a whole LIFETIME for me. Which meant Miaka was meeting Me-Tasuki in that world, while Me-Glen was on the streets of NYC trying to find a warm place to sleep. Shit.

That's some weird-ass fucking shit.

Anyways, in a second Terry was yanking me around to introduce me to a bunch of people, and I had to be all charming and shit. But Kurt catches my eye and I look at him and I know he saw me chasing Yui through the hotel, and I can just TELL he's dying to find out what's going on. After all, who's ever seen Glen Rowe chasing a girl? No one, that's who.

After fricken HOURS of torture, the party's finally over and I'm about ready to shoot myself, I was so damned beat, and all I can think is, I ain't crazy, I met Yui tonight. The Seiryuu No Miko and she REMEMBERED ME! Kurt grabbed me, makin' all our excuses to the party-hounds lookin' to drag us out for after-hours, and he stuffed me in a cab. We're headed home and Kurt's lookin' at me like I'm one of those paintings he likes to stare at for hours.

"So? What the fuck?" he said.

Shit, and people say I'm el-o-quent! I just shook my head. How in hell do I explain everything? I mean, shit, he was THERE and he don't remember any of it. How the fuck is it gonna sound if I go 'well, in a past life I knew her, only it wasn't a past life for her, it was only five years ago…' He'd think I'm fricken bonkers, that's what he'd think. On the other hand, I could show him the notebooks I wrote everything down in. And I mean EVERYTHING, like my whole life in Konan, with him and ReiRei and Hakurou, and the War, and the Suzaku warriors, and the Seiryuu, and after, with him and Chichiri dyin' and me killin' myself.

Well, why the fuck not? Shit, I've been carryin' this load my whole life, and for the last five hangin' with Kurt I've been carryin' his load too. Now I know I'm not nuts, it's all true. So I tell him, as soon as we get home, I'll explain everything. We get in the door, I dig out the notebooks, and hand them to him, saying "Read these first." He just nods and takes a seat on the couch and starts reading.

I put a beer next to him an hour ago. He ain't touched it yet. Why do I feel like everything's about to go to hell in a bucket?


	4. Chapter 4: Freeze

Chapter Four: Freeze

(Italics in the text mean flashbacks)

She changed quickly, crawled into the lonely queen bed, and pulled the crisp and cold sheets over her head, creating an artificial womb of darkness to hide in. She'd run, as usual. Run away from confrontation, from dangerous feelings and fears. One way or another, she'd run away from everything in her life for 5 years – from intimacy, from love and friendship, from challenge and family and life. Somewhere between normalcy and insanity, her heart had become a coward. She'd given up once, and only Miaka's wish had saved her life; something for which Yui was both abjectly grateful, and bitterly angry.

From inside, a dark and jealous voice cried out "Always Miaka! Miaka gets her true love, Miaka gets her beloved seishi back." Yui tried to suppress the voice, that bitter child of blackness that cried out over the injustice of it all, even though truly there was nothing unjust about anything. Still, hot and bitter tears stung her eyes as she stared into the darkness. She couldn't be a martyr to save her friend, instead her friend had saved her. She could not be the smart one, for always Miaka's simple heartfelt wisdom overshadowed Yui's cleverness. She could not stand in spotlight, for Miaka's light was always greater.

_She had been feeling particularly self-flagellant lately, and laying on Miaka's bed while her friend tried on various outfits, Yui stared at the eight happy people in the photo on Miaka's nightstand. Finally interrupting Miaka's chatter about her upcoming date with Taka, Yui asked "Tell me about your seishi?" Miaka was startled for a moment, but then sat by Yui and pointed to each laughing face in turn, telling Yui about them in affectionate and glowing tones. With every superlative, Yui's heart grew blacker and more jealous. Why couldn't I have been acceptable to Suzaku? She wondered. Then all these smiling people would have loved HER, and not Miaka._

Her true secret despair was not that she felt unloved, but rather that Yui felt herself to be unlovable. It must be so, for her parents never made time for the child they'd borne. Phantoms, they'd left notes and allowance money, and mealy-mouthed excuses over phone lines from airports and offices. It must be so, for even without his sunglasses, Tetsuya's eyes were covered and dark, and as they understood less and less about each other, they became as strangers, and to escape the pain of imagined abandonment again, Yui buried herself in her studies. Yet early graduation with honors did not make up for the smiles Taka and Miaka shared. A lucrative job did not make up for Tetsuya's somehow puzzled apologies as he made his goodbyes. A beautiful view from an expensive apartment did not quiet the plaintive heart within her that hurt in solitude, pushed away from people, and yet wondered why she was so alone.

Yui had tried for so long to break away from her actions in the book, to try and keep them from defining her. Five years later, she began to see that she'd made the wrong choices. She'd ignored the issues that caused her to mistrust Miaka, that let her become the evil person she'd become in Kutou, and instead turned her back on them. In doing so, she'd closed herself off, allowing neither anger nor happiness to mar the false serenity of her demeanor. She couldn't figure out a way to change this way of life, no matter how much she wanted to. Despite all her efforts, she'd let herself be defined by her role in the book after all; instead of villain, she played the victim. A victim that never recovered.

So Yui pushed on through her life. Tetsuya had left her. So be it. Miaka and Taka were happily married. Great for them. Yui would make her own way.

She could forget about tonight. She didn't have to have anything to do with the Pendleton Agency and its models if she didn't want to. Starting tomorrow she could simply attend the shows and stay away from the social aspects. After all, Pendleton models were more print oriented than runway – she would be unlikely to encounter any of them if she avoided the social scene.

_Miaka pointed to the redhead with a defiant yet humorous glint to his eye. "This is Tasuki. He could control fire and he could run incredibly fast. Maybe that's why he never got along with horses." Miaka giggled as if remembering a funny incident. "Tasuki was a dear friend. Everything was all or nothing with him. And yet, he could forgive anything…." Miaka's voice trailed off for a moment. "Except maybe himself." Yui found the statement so unusually profound for Miaka that she glanced up, but didn't question further. She didn't try to interpret the look Miaka gave her at that moment, prefering to wallow in her own pain rather than accept compassion._

She would retreat this time too. She would go to the runway shows, finish her assignment, and fly home. She would not let Glen Rowe get to her. His life was his own business. And he was Suzaku – they had all the luck, he certainly didn't need her help, no matter what he'd said to her. She tried to convince herself that no harm came from knowing Glen Rowe, and that he could do her no harm.

As she built her emotional walls, one inner voice in her cried in loneliness, anther railed in bitterness. But much to her own surprise, a quiet third inner entity reminded her of the smile on Glen Rowe's face when she acknowledged she knew him. The subversive voice calmly pointed out that Glen had done nothing to harm her, had tried to put her at her ease, had wanted to be her friend. She had once wished that she'd been Suzaku no Miko, and that all those people in Miaka's photograph had been Yui's warriors. Couldn't she take this one tiny chance to make a friend? And she'd been doing very well at the party before she'd let her fear get the best of her. Why not run with that?

Blinking, Yui stuck her head out from the covers to find light creeping through the window shades. Somehow, she'd fallen asleep. Her mind had kept on spinning and spinning while her body took its nightly refreshment. Groggy, Yui stood and stared at herself in the mirror. Maybe, just maybe, this was a chance she needed to take. She'd gathered the courage to cover Fashion Week in NYC, by herself. She'd made a good showing last night before she'd let her own fear drive her away. If she wanted to really make a name for herself, she had to push herself further. Dolores O'Hara had said Yui could become a star. She couldn't let herself shy away from that opportunity. And if she had to see Glen Rowe, at least he was someone she might be able to trust, and not one of her own seishi.

And maybe just once, Yui could stand in her own spotlight.

Fortified with hope for once, Yui gathered her toiletries and started a shower. As she washed, a daring plan entered her mind. She would go to all the events she'd planned to, even the social ones. And if she met up with Glen Rowe, she would let him be a friend. It was a very daring plan for Yui, who'd spent the last 5 years plotting ways to avoid people. It made her feel a bit giddy. Maybe Suzaku was looking out for her too, putting her in the way of one of His own. Yui could help Glen connect to his last life, and improve her own in the process. It couldn't hurt.

As she prepared for her day, she found her eyes drifting to the phone continuously. Did she really want to take that much of a chance? Did she dare? That giddy feeling seemed to have stuck around, for Yui found herself picking up the phone, fishing a phone number out of her packet of information, and dialing.

Two rings later, a pleasant female voice said "Pendleton Modeling Agency, can I help you?"

"Yes, my name is Yui Hongo, and I'd like to leave a message for Glen Rowe…."

_Thanks to Kittylynne for the heads up on bad grammar and misspellings! MSWord doesn't understand transliterated Japanese!_


	5. Chapter 5: Tai Shan

Chapter 5: Tai Shan

I ended up crashing out.

Geez, what? I was tired, ok? I was damned beat, and all Kurt was doing was reading and fucking reading and that's it! At one point, he kicked off his shoes and took one swig of the beer I gave him. Never even looked up at me.

So the next morning I get up, and it was fricken QUIET in here. Right, so it wasn't morning, it was actually like noon. So sue me. Anyway, being a paranoid jerkoff, I check Kurt's room, just to make sure he didn't like, skip out in the night because his roomie turned out to be a total fucking psycho or something. Nope, all his shit was still here, that was a good sign.

He wasn't on the couch either. Neither were my notebooks. So finally, I go over to the other end of the flat, to Kurt's studio. See, we had the whole floor, with all these cheap walls put up to make a living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and all, but the building used to be a warehouse. And one corner is a big unfinished space that Kurt uses as his studio, 'cuz every once in a while he likes to do this thing he calls "Pollock style". I don't know who Pollock is, but Kurt puts a canvas on the floor and flings and dribbles paint on it. Looks like spastic crap to me, but Kurt says it's modern art. Whatever.

Anyway, I push the curtain aside, and there's Kurt, crashed out on the floor of his studio. He's got his head pillowed on his jacket all scrunched up, and all I can think is 'Damn man, yer gonna have a neck cramp.' And then I look up.

Hit me like a punch in the gut. This HUGE painting, made by like three regular canvasses stuck together, is propped up against the wall, sitting on a table with all my notebooks spread out in front of it. It's, like, four feet high, and about twelve feet long. And it's KONAN!

It's a fricken mon-tage or something. Starting on the left there's Mount Reikaku, and you can just see a bit of the Stronghold through the trees. Then there's Mount Taikyoku, only it looks all forbidding and grey. Then there's a view of the capitol, and the battlefield in front of it where we fought and Hotohori fell. I think I can even pick out a figure on a horse in red armor, charging an enemy all in blue. The sky over everything is like it's sunset, and the clouds form the image of a huge red bird. Holy shit, Suzaku! Here and there people are painted, like the battle. I get up real close to it, and there – on the steps of the shrine in the capitol, I think I see Miaka. It's all indistinct, just like a smear of painted auburn hair, but she's there. Nuriko is nearby, in the gardens. And Mitsukake is in the hospital, and Chiriko and Chichiri are on the palace porch. Tamahome is on the battle field, and there! In the woods on Reikaku, I could see me and Kouji. Or, me and Kurt.

I hear something then, and I look and Kurt was awake, looking up at me.

"Dude, you ok?" He asked me.

Shit, I got TEARS running down my face. Real quick, I wiped my eyes on my arm and got my shit together.

"Yeah, yeah. Man, this is fucking AMAZING. Do you…… uh, do you remember stuff?"

He shook his head. "No. Not really. I mean, when I started to paint, all I was thinkin' of was what you wrote. But as I did it, I sorta KNEW what things should look like, even if you didn't say." He stared at me for a second. "I guess I got it all right, huh?" Man, he didn't even question that it was true. That's brotherhood for ya. Shit, I was thinking that he'd at least make some comment about me being a nov-el-ist or some shit, but no. Kurt Davis accepted his buds without battin' an eye, no matter what shitty baggage they carried. Damn, I love this guy! As to his question, I just nodded. It was really fucking weird. He SORTA remembered. Like, I know I never wrote down what color the tiles of Stronghold's roof were, but he got 'em right.

Kurt said, "So. Should I call you Glen or Tasuki? Or Genrou?" His face broke into a truly evil grin. "How about 'Gen-chan'?"

"Yer a dead man if you call me that!" I tackled him, and we were laughing and wrestling around, until we almost knocked one of the tables over and got paint all over us. Shit, ruined my favorite sweatpants too.

"Geez, Kurt, ya know, so much of yer so-called art is just crap, but this I like." I gave him a big shit-eating grin. Hey, had to get him back for that 'Gen-chan' crap. The bastard just rubbed paint into my hair. "SHIT! Kurt, we gotta go to work today!"

He laughed. "Dude, relax. It's acrylic, it'll come out with shampoo."

"Right, whatever. Prick."

"Asshole."

"Dickless."

"Look who's talking, Boy Wonder."

"Virgin."

"Hey, that's below the belt, Glen."

"Literally."

"You will now die."

I jumped up and away from that loser. "Coffee?" I changed the subject, ya know, before all this bonding got me all misty-eyed again.

Kurt grinned and started cleaning up the paint as he said, "My hero!"

"Right, coffee it is." I went into the kitchen and started building a pot of high-test.

Kurt came in and collapsed into a chair. "So, lemme see if I got this straight. You were a holy warrior in a past life." I shot him a glare for the smart-ass tone he used for 'holy warrior', but he ignored me. "Two girls, Miaka and Yui, got sent through time and space from now to become priestesses then. They ended up enemies, and all sorts of ugly shit went down. But, in the end, Yui came back to being Miaka's friend, and the good guys won. Right so far?"

"Yep."

"And now, in New York City, the luscious Yui Hongo, your ex-enemy, is now here as a fashion reporter."

"I wouldn't call her an enemy! Shit, man, she was a scared 15 year old girl at the time! Cut the chick some slack. Besides, it was all that bastard Nakago's fault!" Hell, I didn't know WHERE that came from. Maybe my brain had moved on without me, but it was the god's-honest truth. Nakago was the bad guy. Yui couldn't have been the bad one, or else Miaka wouldn't have wanted to save her so bad. Right? "Hey, what do you mean, 'luscious'?"

Jerk ignored me. "So, what, did you say something royally stupid last night to make her run off?"

"Man, I didn't say shit. Well, I guess I went off a little on what I remembered, especially when she recognized me as Tasuki, but I TOLD her I didn't blame her or nothin'. I can't figure out why she bolted."

"Mmhmm." Kurt was giving me this 'yeah, sure thing, jackass' look, so I pecked a sponge at his face.

"Really, Kurt. I'm clueless – don't say it, asshole! Shit, you know I don't 'get' chicks. They have, I dunno, different brains or something. I didn't think I said anything last night to piss Yui off. Though, I guess now that I think about it, it all musta pretty much sucked for her, the whole experience, I mean. Maybe she just wants to forget it happened, and I went and stuck it all in her face." I kinda wound down by the end of that brilliant fucking speech. I didn't mean to hurt Yui, but I guess I did. I was just so happy, ya know, to meet someone who remembered what I remembered. Plus, and only now did this occur to me, Yui must know how to contact Miaka and Taka! She was my connection, and finding anybody from Then was my crack. Meeting Yui gave me hope, I guess. "I guess I'll see her again sometime this week. I mean, she's covering Fashion Week. At worst, it won't be 'til Betsy's show on Wednesday. I'll make sure to apologize, if she'll talk to me. OK?"

Kurt nodded. He looked like he had his own ideas, but the prick likes to make me stew sometimes. I knew I wasn't gonna get anything else out of him.

"Are you gonna talk to her as Glen or as Tasuki?"

OK, shit, I was gonna get it from him. Fucker. "Glen. I'm Glen, OK? Tasuki was me then, not now. I didn't think shit through half as much then as I do now. Don't even go there, bro, or you'll loose some teeth." I had ta stop giving Kurt the openings, or he'd rip me apart. But it was true too. I'd become much more cir-cum-spect than I used to be, I guess. Being alone a lot does that to a guy. Ya get all phil-o-sophical.

Geez, you'd never guess I didn't finish school, huh?

Kurt pounded his java. "OK, man OK. Hey, we better motor. Gotta be at the office by two!"

"Dibs!" I hollered and bolted for the bathroom.

Ten minutes later the jerk forces me outta the shower by turning on the hot water in the kitchen and flushing the toilet. Bastard.

_AN – TaiShan is not only the name of the RUSH song, it's also one of the five famous mountains of China – the Eastern one. It is the one that symbolizes the Chinese national spirit. _


	6. Chapter 6: Vital Signs

_(AN- sorry about the delay. Real Life interfered.)_

Chapter Six – "Vital Signs"

Yui sighed. Two shows in one day. At least tomorrow was Sunday and she had nothing scheduled. She'd get a chance to look around NYC. Maybe even with company.

Yui couldn't believe herself. Her strange wild mood of the morning had led her to leave a message for Glen Rowe with the receptionist at the Pendleton Agency. She only gave her name and her hotel phone number. It would be up to Glen to call her. But what would she do if he did? Surely he'd want to talk, talk about what happened 5 years ago. Could she handle that? Maybe she should change rooms in the hotel, so Glen wouldn't be able to reach her after all. No, the hotel would simply transfer the call to her new room. Maybe she should check out.

Maybe she should get her head examined. Yui shook her head and chastised herself. I made the first move, I have to follow through, she told herself. She had to stop building up these walls of fear. She reached up and touched the simple jade pendant around her neck, her personal luck charm. Glen Rowe, Suzaku Seishi Tasuki, would call. Yui knew in her heart he would. And he'd probably ask to meet her somewhere. Yui told herself that if he did, she'd say yes.

In the meantime, she'd better go over these notes. She was in New York on business after all.

This morning's show had been the new collection from an Israeli designer known for his ethnic-influenced work. This collection, however, appeared to have been phoned in. The styles had been sloppy and droopy and not at all what TokyoLook readers were into. In fact, Yui had been down right horrified by the sight of a male model in baggy jeans and a ribbed tank that was pulled up so only the model's head and one arm were actually IN the thing. What, did they not even have time to DRESS back there?

In full fashionista mode, Yui sat back in her chair in the hotel's café and made several scathing notes about the morning's show. She knew she wouldn't be alone – she'd overheard several reporters and critics panning the designer.

Now this afternoon had been entirely different. Yui sipped her tea and smiled to herself. The collection known as Matt by Matt Issacs had been stunning. EXACTLY what she'd come to New York City to see. A mix of true Shaggy Chic and something Yui would happily call 'anime' style, the designs were fun, young, and not the least bit unrealistic – so many designers forgot that people came in shapes other than 6-foot, size 2. In fact, she'd fallen in love with a pair of red mid-calf zipper boots with high heels and a fantastic black mini-dress trimmed in a matching red. Yui had also had the great fun of smiling knowledgeably into a TV camera at the reception and announcing to the world that she felt Matt Issacs's designs would be huge hits in Tokyo.

"I can see Matt's pieces on the streets and in the nightclubs. I'm absolutely delighted."

Yui smiled into her teacup, remembering the moment. The designer himself had been nearby, and as soon as the camera moved on, Yui had had the pleasure of meeting him. A nice young man, early-thirties maybe. Not especially handsome, but Yui would certainly play him up in her article – 'boyish good looks", "youthful enthusiasm". Her readers didn't want to have their style dictated by 70 year old Frenchmen, and so Yui would find them designers who were their peers. Issacs fit the bill, especially with his apparent affection for anime and manga, which subject had formed the majority of their brief conversation.

She'd seen Dolores again, and played 'the game' to the hilt. Her nighttime insecurities were effectively buried in favor of daytime confidence. Yui Hongo always strove for success, no matter how pointless it all seemed. And fashion was pointless in the extreme, to Yui's mind. But, a career is a career. Someday, Yui would transition into serious reporting. It kept her on the outside, looking in, which after her last disastrous adventure, was a place she was very happy to stay.

My own wish to have an adventure led me to fall into that book, and some adventurer I turned out to be, she often thought. Yui had always treated herself severely. But tomorrow, a free day in New York City, she would try and treat herself well. Sightseeing, a little shopping, maybe even a facial.

Gathering her notes and folders, she decided on an early evening. As she passed the concierge, she thought that perhaps she'd have a message, maybe from Miaka and Taka, calling to see how things were going. Worry warts, the pair of them. Or perhaps from Glen Rowe. Surely he'd have gotten her message by now.

"Excuse me. I'm Yui Hongo. Are there any messages for me?"

The concierge nodded. "Yes, actually, there are two for you, Miss Hongo." She handed Yui two hotel envelopes.

Yui thanked the woman and took the elevator up to her room. The first message was from Miaka, as expected.

'Yui – hope things are going great. Call with news. Love, Miaka_.'_ The message was written in a fine hand. Yui assumed that a high-class hotel like this made sure that even phone messages were attractive.

In fact, both messages were as expected.

'Yui – At a shoot until 9. Have dinner with me after? Glen. 212-555-9094.'

Dinner?

It was currently 6:30pm.

Hands shaking, Yui picked up the phone in her room and dialed the number.

"The customer you're trying to reach is currently unavailable. If you'd like to leave a message, press 1 now."

Struggling to hold her courage together, Yui pressed 1 and said, "Hello, Rowe-san, this is Yui. Dinner is fine. Meet me in the lobby of my hotel at 9:30." Setting the phone back into its cradle, she stared at herself in the mirror.

Five years ago, she'd allowed herself to become the worst version of herself possible. It didn't matter to Yui that she'd been manipulated from minute one by Nakago. She should have kept faith with Miaka. She should have been smart enough to recognize her own fantasies when it came to Tamahome. She shouldn't have born such hatred for people she'd never met, the Suzaku warriors, just because they belonged to Miaka.

Even after Miaka had saved her from death, Yui would have withdrawn, but for a while, Tetsuya had tried to protect her from herself. But after they'd broken up a year ago, Yui had thrown herself into her studies and career, so much so that her parents thought she'd deliberately distanced herself.

_Yui got home and threw her coat onto her couch. Her answering machine blinked at her, and absently, Yui stabbed the play button. The tape spooled a moment, and then her mother's voice emerged from the tiny speaker. "Yui, it's your mother. I'm calling to let you know that your grandmother Hoshi died this morning. The service will be in two days." The voice paused. "I certainly hope you can make time to come. Your grandmother was very fond of you." Yui stared at the machine as it beeped and ended. Somewhere, a new pain blossomed in her chest, not the same old ache of regret. This new pain grew from the realization that she'd pulled herself so far away from everyone that meant anything to her that her own mother didn't expect Yui to make time to attend her grandmother's funeral. Worse, Yui hadn't even known Grandmother Hoshi had been ill._

It had been Grandmother Hoshi's last note to Yui that had shattered the walls around Yui's soul and made her vow to remake herself. The gentle words of love, understanding of all the inner insecurities and guilt, handwritten by an aged woman and kept in a sealed envelope with a small jade pendant, had caused Yui to spend nearly two whole days in tears. But it had been her grandmother's final wisdom to Yui and her final wishes of happiness for Yui that had cleared Yui's eyes, firmed her resolve, and make her start the path to recovery. Yui had become able to look back, to see how she'd pushed people away out of fear of rejection, the faults in her own heart that let her fail to trust. And most importantly, Grandmother's last letter had taught Yui how to search for a way out of the deadening cycle. It had kick-started the old voice of confidence in Yui's head, the voice that had been silent so long, the voice of her humor and joy and happiness. Yui almost imagined Grandmother cheering her on as she boarded the plane for New York City. And Yui could especially imagine it when it came to dinner with Glen Rowe! Granny always did have an eye for handsome men.

Smiling to herself, Yui glanced at the clock. Goodness! 7:15! She'd whiled away nearly an hour in memories! Dashing for the bathroom, Yui mentally assessed her clothing. She'd have just enough time to get ready.


	7. Chapter 7: Secret Touch

Chapter Seven: "Secret Touch"

"YYEEEAAAHHH!"

I musta given Marcy-The-Receptionist a freaking heart attack. She handed me this message when Kurt and I got to the office to meet up with the others going to the shoot tonight. I looked at it, shouted and jumped up and down.

OK, so maybe I fricken overreacted. So what?

'Course, it's probably now all over the office, and with my rotten luck, in the gossip sheets by Monday. I mean, I could see it written all over Marcy's face: Glen Likes A Girl. Even Kurt was givin' me an evil grin.

Well, ya know what? Fuck 'em. I don't care. Yui left me a message. Which means, what ever freaked her out last night, she is willing to forget it. Which totally rocks!

I know that a chick has never meant shit to me before this. I mean, except Miaka. Which is this whole 'realms of fantasy' crap that we just don't need to get into right now. Seriously, can I honestly say I have any feelings for a chick that I only remember from a past life? And on top of that, a chick who knows nothing about me now? I mean, I didn't exactly have a nur-tur-ing en-vi-ron-ment in either lifetime, but at least in that one I didn't get whupped regularly from ages four to fourteen! Huh, maybe that's why I always get into fights with woman stylists at shoots – they remind me of my mom and sisters. At any rate, I wasn't thinking about Yui like that anyway. Like a girlfriend type person, I mean. OK, so maybe part of me was going 'ya know, Yui's pretty fricken hot' but that wasn't really seriously going through my head. Well, not the head on top of my neck!

Sorry, that was pretty rude of me.

It's all Kurt's fault for callin' Yui 'luscious'. He's got a dirty mind, ya know?

ANYWAY! I whip out my cell phone – got it just a couple weeks ago – and dial up, and I get this hotel. It rings a bit, then this chick gets on and tells me real nice that Yui isn't in, and did I wanna leave a message? Hell yeah, I left a message. I always wanna pig out after shoots, so I left Yui this message asking if she wanted to go to dinner, then Kurt drags me off to the shoot.

Magazine shoots are pretty cool, normally, better than catalogs anyway. Catalogs, ya gotta change clothes like a thousand times. For magazines, they got just a few specific outfits they wanna show off, so you only gotta change like once. But tonight we were on this rooftop deck, and the photographer is spending as much time picking out what angle he wants – 'cuz you know the New York skyline is that damned important – as he is saying how he wants us models to stand.

So hours later, the shoots almost done, and he's got me standing with Jeannie, who's this bottle red-head who's been with Pendleton a while, and I'll be damned if that witch didn't try to grab my package!

"CHRIST! Damn it, get yer hands offa me!" I think I jumped four feet.

"Glen, what are you doing?" That's the photographer. He screeched it like I just beat up his kid or something.

I'm shaking, I'm so pissed off. "Tell this wench to keep her hands to herself!" I'm pointing at Jeannie, who's just grinning. In fact, practically the whole crew looked like they were trying not to laugh. 'Cept Kurt. He ain't so restrained. That jerk's laughing his ass off back by the changing space.

"Fine, fine, if you two can't work together, PAUL!" The photographer calls in a different guy, who GLADLY gets groped, and gropes in return. Shit. I can't figure this business. I mean, all the chicks are these psychos who eat nothing and sleep around. Half the guys are gay, and the ones that aren't are all over the slutty chicks. Just like when I was on the streets, I try to keep my head down and make my own way. At least I got Kurt to support me. Oh, he likes to go out dancing and shit with the others, but I know he ain't sleepin' around either. That Catholic boy is waiting on Ms. Right. And I know for a fact that the models talk about us too. I know what it sounds like – two guys, best friends, sharing a pad, and neither of 'em goes home with any of the chicks. OK, frankly, it IS a bit flattering just how many women have tried to lure me home with them since I been a model, but damn, half of 'em are skanky, and the other half are scary. But it's like, if they can't nail us, then we must be gay. I'm surprised some of the male models aren't trying to grope us! 'Cept one I know, Geoff, swears that they can tell me and Kurt ain't gay. I dunno how it works, but Geoff just calls it his 'gay-dar' and grins.

Once, once in my life, I kissed a girl. I was 17, on the streets, and this other homeless kid, a real dope fiend chick, said she'd french me for a cigarette. She also said for a twenty she'd, uh, you know, but I didn't have a twenty, and I really don't think I'd'a given it to her for that anyway. Cuz, at the time, I was still kinda in love with Miaka in my head. Anyway, I gave her the smoke, and she stuck her tongue in my mouth, and it was kinda cool for all of about 5 seconds. 'Til I got a whiff of her. She musta not showered in weeks!

But I still like women, or prefer 'em, instead of men. I just don't understand 'em. And I guess I haven't like, tried to be friends with one first or anything like that. I mean, look at the luck I've had – last life was abusive mom and sisters, and the one woman I basically fall for was untouchable and taken. This life, abusive mom and sisters again – and I gotta remember to talk to Suzaku about that shit – scary street chicks and totally forward slutty models!

But now that I've met Yui, I guess I'm thinkin' a bit differently. Because we've got something in common, ya know? And I guess it would be cool to be her friend. And yeah, through her I can hook up with Miaka and Taka again, which would rock, but still I'd wanna be Yui's friend.

And damn it, Kurt's right – the girl is pretty luscious.

And the fact that I'm even thinking that is a little weird too. 'Cuz normally, as soon as a person is ID'd as female, I don't much pay attention. But I can't get Yui outta my head. There's something about her that seems different. I get this feeling that there's a whole lot more going on inside of that girl than what you see, and I'm really kinda curious. I know what it's like to know stuff on the inside that you can't let anyone else know about, right?

So, after I got kicked outta that shot, I fell into a chair, threw some random shoe at Kurt, who's still acting like a damned hyena, and check my messages.

Hot damn, she called me back! I am the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet.

Kurt asked, "What are you grinning about, hoser?"

"I'm going to dinner with Yui Hongo after this."

Kurt stares. "You got a date?"

Oh shit. He's right. This is now a date. Fuck – what am I gonna wear? I mean, I came to the shoot in a secondhand biker jacket, ratty jeans, and old black muscle shirt, and ripped 5 year old chuck taylors. I think Kurt recognized the sign of rising panic in my face, because he immediately calls over Judy, the stylist. Now, as I said, I ain't too keen on women stylists. So I'm getting a bit more than worried here, but Kurt just whispers to her. She nods, and grabs some things off the rack, tosses 'em at me, and says "Wear the shoes from the last shot. Get it all back to the office tomorrow."

When we're finally freed at ten of nine, I duck out with the goods and change. Now I'm wearing black 'beatle' boots, blue jeans that FIT like… well, I dunno, but when we wore 'em in the shoot, the women whistled, a blue club shirt with black flames along the bottom, plus my own jacket. I check myself out in a mirror, and guess what? I could get to likin' women stylists.

One way-too-short cab ride later, and I stood in the lobby of Yui's hotel waiting. Nice place. Fancy. Not that I've got much of a knowledge of nice hotels, though. So, I hear the elevators bing, and I turn to look, and I just about died right there.

Mental note – kill Kurt for gettin' me thinkin' about this woman this way. Because if he hadn't, I mighta been able to survive this moment. But now…..

She walked towards me, a little smile on her face, and I musta been staring like a damned idiot. From toes to head, she's got on black heels, nylons that are skin colored – jeez, unless she's NOT wearing nylons, in which case she's got a killer tan – this mini skirt that's black suede, I think, and Suzaku help me, a tiny little pink tee shirt that I think I can actually see her belly button, it's so tight and short. Plus a sharp little black suede jacket and a purse. It must be a suit. Bet it looks real professional when she's wearing a real shirt with it! My blood left my head so fast, I'm surprised I didn't get a nose-bleed.

She smiles up at me, and I guess my thoughts were on my face, because she blushed and said "Hello, Rowe-san."

"Hey, Yui-chan."

Oops. Might not have been the right thing to say, 'cuz her face goes all blank.

I try again. "Sorry! That's what Miaka always called you. Um. Yui-san, right? Uh. God damn, you look great!" OK, so it wasn't my finest moment. Now she's really red. Well, Glen you hosehead, give it another go. "Sorry! Shit. Why is it I always put my foot in my mouth when I'm talkin' to you?"

Yui giggled. She actually giggled! It's a great sound. "Maybe I just have that affect on you."

Is she flirting with me? I cleared my throat and tried to get a grip on myself. "Maybe. Uh, listen, can you just call me Glen? I mean, I don't know what the deal is in Japan, but I'd just as soon you called me Glen."

"Alright. And please just call me Yui."

Grinning, I said, "That's a deal. You ready to go?" I tried to be slick, puttin' my arm out for her to take like I was some sorta gentleman.

Of course, no-one warned me that when she touched my arm and said, "Lets go," I'd feel a shock like this. A shock that went right to my gut. And I looked down into those big blue eyes, and thought 'Oh shit, I'm hooked.'


	8. Chapter 8: One Little Victory

Chapter 8 - One Little Victory

Yui held her napkin to her mouth as she tried desperately to control her laughter. Across the table, Glen's amber eyes twinkled at her over his soda glass. She knew he'd timed that punch line perfectly. She'd gotten used to his wicked fanged grin very quickly – she was seeing it quite a bit. Glen seemed to take great delight in making her laugh. So far, they'd made it from the hotel to the restaurant, to halfway through their meal, and Yui's cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling all the time. Glen turned out to be a great date. He was funny and totally irreverent, quick with a joke and a laugh. He also had this way of looking at her like she was the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen.

It made her warm all over.

It also made a corner of her mind wonder what on earth Miaka had been thinking to choose Tamahome over Tasuki, if Glen had been like this in the book. Certainly he was much more fun than ever-serious Taka. Still, she didn't know Glen very well, so maybe he had his serious side too. Sipping her water carefully to keep from getting the hiccups, Yui decided she ought to try and get to know Glen beyond his sense of humor. Especially since she'd get grilled about him as soon as she got home and told Miaka he existed.

"So, did you grow up here in New York?"

"Yep. Born in the city. Grew up mostly in the Bronx. Then, uh, around."

"Around?" Glen flushed. Yui wondered what on earth she'd said. "I'm sorry, if you'd rather not talk about it…"

He waved her apology away. "It ain't a secret. I ran away from home when I was fourteen. Didn't finish high school. I lived in shelters and on the streets until Kurt and I got a place about two years ago, when he got outta school. But," and his voice grew defiant, "I never joined a gang, I got no diseases, I don't use drugs, and I never did nothin' worse than some little five-fingered discounts to get by." His expression challenged her. He refused to be ashamed of his past.

"I'm sure you can take care of yourself." Yui said carefully. Her lack of censure seemed to relax him. Yui realized he honestly expected her to be very upset with him. She felt almost sorry she'd brought their conversation into serious realms. Struggling, she searched for something to say. Usually she ran from tense situations, but she really wanted to know Glen. "I mean, you don't sound like you're, um, uneducated. Though you have a definite accent! I don't think I've ever heard English spoken the way you speak, Glen."

He smiled wryly at that, but didn't say anything, applying himself to his dinner.

Yui started to feel very uncomfortable. She didn't think asking him about his past would have upset him, but then, she didn't know that he'd had such a terrible past. She wondered what to do, but just as she was reaching panic, he spoke.

"I guess I sorta thought you'd be kinda … disappointed. I mean, I'll bet you got a degree and all, and I'm just some street punk." This was said quietly. He never looked up.

"Can you tell me why you ran away?" Yui bit her lip, hoping she didn't go too far.

He looked up at her, and their eyes met. For once, Yui held on, trying to keep from faltering. Normally, she never let anyone look her in the eye for more than a second, but Glen seemed to be looking for something in her eyes. She really, really wanted to know more about him, to let Glen trust her enough to open up. She wasn't sure why she had these feelings, but suddenly, Glen's trust became very important.

"My ma used to beat me."

Yui blinked, surprised. "Your mother? I mean, I'm sorry, but you just seem so… tough. I can't imagine.." Pausing, she tried to picture a young Glen in her head, a young vulnerable Glen. The mental image made her heart ache. Suddenly, she remembered he said he'd remembered his past life for this entire one. "Oooh! I think I see. You said you remembered everything."

Glen nodded. His expression was something to behold. Relieved, excited, pained, and hopeful. "Yeah! Plus, Ma was a mean bitch. Er, sorry. But, she was like 'men are worthless' and she did nothing but hack on Dad and teach my sisters to be bullies. And I have FIVE older sisters! Man, I musta been a disappointment. I mean, I'm pretty sure she only married Dad for breeding, ya know, and I think she was looking for a full half-dozen, but then I turned out to be a boy, and I don't think she ever forgave me for it. Plus all the stuff I used ta spout about Konan and everything made her think I was crazy, until I got enough beatings ta learn ta keep my damned mouth shut." He flushed. "Sorry. Too much information."

"Oh, no! I – I'd like to know everything about you. That is, if you want me to." Yui caught her breath. Glen looked up at her not with affectionate pity like Tetsuya or fervent worship like Suboshi, but with honest open admiration. This was something that made her heart pound in her chest and made her unable to look away. It also made some latent feminine vanity in her preen shamelessly. How real, how normal it all seemed, to sit here with a boy and not feel like she had a role to play. Or rather, she could play any role SHE chose, and Glen would accept it. She bit her lip suddenly. What exactly did she want to do?

Glen must have taken her expression the wrong way, because he looked away suddenly. "Sorry. Uh, you can ask anything you like. I got no secrets." He looked back and smiled warmly at her, and to Yui, all was right in the world again. "'Course, I might have a few questions of my own!"

"Oh. Like what?" Here's where I get grilled about Miaka and Taka, she thought.

"Why the hell are you a fashion reporter? You seem to me ta be a hell of a lot sharper than them loonies."

"I – what?" Yui was startled. Didn't he think of her as just "Miaka's Friend"? "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "Ya just seem like yer better than that."

Yui stared at him like he was something totally outside of her experience. And he was. Glen Rowe seemed to have this ability to totally blindside her. Whether she was falling victim to one of his off-color jokes or caught by the look in his eyes, she couldn't maintain her equilibrium around him. It was a mental roller coaster, and she was hard pressed to keep up with him. "It was the job that was open. The salary is rather good too."

He nodded. "Yeah, I hear that. I'm only a model cuz they pay me good."

"Yes, I remember," she giggled. "'If they're willin' ta pay me, I'm willin' ta stand there!'" she growled in imitation of his comments the night before on the hotel patio.

Glen chuckled at her mimicry. "Yer pretty good at that! OK, yer turn."

"My turn?"

"Ask the next question."

"Oh!" She thought a moment. "What sort of music do you like?"

"Dunno. Never owned a radio. I know I don't like rap. On the streets, the sound of loud rap means Gang Turf, Get the Fuck Away. Sorry."

"Glen, you don't have to apologize for swearing. I can handle it."

"Good, cuz it's been a pain in the ass tryin' not to." He winked. "Anyway, since Kurt and I got the nice place, he got us a good stereo and listens to a lot of metal and classic rock. So that's what I listen to too. Don't really care. My turn. Why a reporter at all?"

"I like watching people. I like being on the outside looking in. It's… safer." She glanced to see if he understood. Glen just looked back at her, non-judgmental but miraculously understanding. It amazed Yui how intelligent he could be for someone who didn't even finish school. Glen was such an amazing person. A quirk of his brow told her he awaited her next question. A streak of mischief prompted her to ask, "How many girls have you kissed?"

"One." He answered promptly. "Well, two, if you wanna count past lives."

Yui's jaw dropped. "That's it? But that means you're…. Oh." She turned red. "Excuse me, I didn't mean to get… um…"

Glen's eyebrows rose. "Didn't mean to get that personal, Yui?" His grin turned wicked again. "So, you're thinking about my sex life already? Damn, you Japanese girls are fast!"

"I am not fast!" She exclaimed, then threw her napkin at him as he laughed at her reaction to his teasing.

"Ok, ok!" He calmed, and then gave her another of his warm smiles. He has so many different smiles, Yui thought, I wonder how many there are. "Actually," he continued, "If it makes any difference, this is my first date."

Yui blushed. "Really?"

"Really. Not like livin' on the streets gives you the chance to meet cool girls." A quick smirk let Yui know that Glen certainly considered her a 'cool girl'. "How'm I doin' so far?"

Yui had never been anyone's first anything before. Yui felt almost overwhelmed, and her sense of self-worth bloomed. She knew then what she wanted with Glen -- the freedom to be herself again. Stricken by these internal revelations, Yui looked him in the eye finally without fear or speculation and replied, "You're doing wonderfully, Glen."

This time, his grin warmed her to her toes.


	9. Chapter 9: Ghost of a Chance

Chapter 9: Ghost of a Chance

"You're doing wonderfully, Glen."

Hot damn! I rock, I knew it. Just kidding. Really, I thought I was a goner for a minute there, when I told Yui about my history. I mean, shit, she's a sharp chick, she's got it all together, and I'm just this formerly-homeless jerk who's just kinda floating though life.

So I just grinned at her. Damnit, she's beautiful. She's got this short thick blonde hair that just frames her face perfectly. She's got big sky-blue eyes, and this sharp chin. She's also got a wicked smirk. If she'd just let go, I bet she'd be able to verbally smack me AND Kurt down any day of the week. Smart girl like her has gotta have a sharp tongue, ya know? I never thought about it much before, but now I'm thinkin' that a smart chick is a turn-on.

"Ok, it's my turn, right?" I ask. Gotta think of just the right question. I am NOT gonna ask how many boys she's kissed. I mean, it's one thing when it's a guy, right, but a totally different thing when yer askin' a girl. "Hmmm. Gotta think of a good one…" She's giggling now. She's got a great laugh. I've been makin' her laugh all through dinner. Just tryin' to make her happy, ya know? And damn, when she laughs and looks at me the way she's lookin' at me now, I tell ya, I could take on the whole world. I've never had an experience like this before. Who knew that dating would be so cool? Like I said, I never understood girls, always figured them for playin' head games and shit. But Yui isn't pulling any head games with me; we're just havin' dinner and talkin' and laughin'. I think I see now why Kurt goes out with so many different chicks all the time, while I just stay home and watch the boob tube. Get a girl as cool as Yui smilin' at ya, and yer instantly twenty feet tall! Anyway, back to my question. I wasn't about to ask about Miaka yet. It just wasn't time. "Well, what sort of music do you like?"

"Oh, pop. Japanese pop music is different than American pop music. But I also like what you'd call 'oldies' style."

I made a face at her. "Like disco?"

She laughed. "Older than that! 1950s style. There was an American trio that was hugely popular when I was in junior high school. Oh, what were they called? The Stray Cats!"

I busted out laughing. "I like them too. Kurt has one of their CDs, like a greatest hits thing. Do you know the one 'Runaway Boys'? He calls it my fricken theme song!"

Yui was laughing along with me. "Well, I can see that. You two have this 'we're so cool' thing going, you're totally like the Stray Cats. That gives me my next question. Do you have any tattoos?"

"What?" Now I'm like totally shocked. I don't think Yui knows that that's practically a fricken come on! I turned as damned red as my hair, I know it. Goddamned irish blood, gets ya into fights and makes ya blush like an idiot.

She's covering her mouth, but I can tell she's laughing at my reaction. That sly little chica, she set me up! "Well, the guys in the Stray Cats had tons of tattoos, so I just thought…." She let it hang out there.

"Jeez, Yui!" So do I lie and say no, or do I show her my arm? Finally, I decide, two can play that sly game, damn it. And I know she's just joking around too, so I figure I'll joke back. "Alright, actually, I do have one."

"Really?" She got all surprised. What, she asked didn't she? Why ask if she didn't think I'd have one?

"Really. Someplace special." I gave her this look I learned from modeling, what photographers call 'sexy-dirty', but then she gasped like she was guilty and started giggling and turning red. "Hey! Get yer mind outta the gutter, Miss Hongo!"

"I wasn't!"

"Yeah you were. Thinkin' about my sex life again, sheesh!"

She just about choked, trying to be offended and laugh at the same time. "Glen! Stop it!"

I let her off the hook. I just smirked and waited 'til she calmed down before I asked my next question. "What do you like to do when you're alone?" I figure, this oughta tell me more about her.

She thought a moment, then said, "I like to read. I like manga a lot. I must have over two dozen different series collected."

"What's manga?"

"Oh, I guess you would say, comic books. But they tend to be a bit more sophisticated than American comic books."

Yui collects comic books? "You collect comic books?"

She blushed. "Among other things."

"Like what?" What would be so embarrassing?

"Um, I collect figurines of dogs. Usually Akitas, they're so cool."

"OK, I don't know what an Akita looks like."

"Hmm. Think of a brown husky on steroids. They were guard dogs and fighting dogs."

"They sound cool. I'll have to show you the husky statue in the park."

"You mean the Sled Dog memorial? It's on my list to see tomorrow."

"Yeah? You doin' some sightseeing then?"

She nodded. "I don't have any shows planned, so I thought I'd take the time to check out New York City." She paused and started blushing again. What the hell is she thinkin' about? She's lookin' at me kinda sideways-like too. "Glen – do you have plans for tomorrow? I – I just thought that maybe, if you didn't have anything to do, you could show me around the city. After all, you live here, you must know where everything is, and it would be nice to see the city with a local. And, well, you're such good company…"

She just said I was good company? Me? Foulmouthed homeless runaway never-finished-high-school Glen Rowe is good company for her? "Hell yeah! That would be great, Yui. I'd love ta show you around."

For one moment, we were just smiling at each other, and it was like everything else in the world just went away. In the back of my head, I started goin' crazy, trying to remember when I felt like this before, because I knew that I had at some point, it felt familiar. Then I remembered – when I was Tasuki, I saved Miaka from drowning. I gave her mouth-ta-mouth, and when she started breathing again, I felt something like this – relieved and happy and something extra I ain't got a name for. And now, lookin' at Yui smiling at me, I felt the same way – relieved that she liked me enough to want to spend more time with me, happy about all that, and something extra I ain't got a name for. It was kinda like what I used to feel about Miaka, and my brother warriors. Like I was willing to do anything for her, and be glad about it.

"So," Yui said, breaking our moment suddenly, "What do YOU do when you're alone?"

I shrugged. "Not much. I mean, when I was on the street, it was pretty much all about survival. Since Kurt and I got a place and I started livin' like a normal person, I've been… writing."

She seemed curious. "What sort of writing?"

I really didn't wanna get into this. I thought it was too early. I mean, yesterday when I brought up the past, she flipped out. But on the other hand, I wanted to be totally honest with her. She asked. So I thought 'Here we go,' and answered. "I started writing everything I remember. About then. In Konan." She got all serious, but nodded for me to go on. "Plus some stuff about life now. Like what it was like to live in the streets and stuff. How different things are. How…. How much I wanted to find someone, anyone, who knew. Who maybe remembered or understood."

She sighed. "Glen. I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to run away. It's just that… well…"

"Forget it."

"What?"

"Forget about it. We don't have ta talk about this now. I ain't a Celestial warrior anymore; I'm Glen Rowe, just a guy livin' in NYC, and a model. You're not a Priestess anymore; you're Yui Hongo, from Tokyo, a reporter, and you just asked me to show you around New York tomorrow. I'd really rather focus on that, ok?" I mighta crossed my toes, I was hopin' so much she'd agree and not flip out again.

Just then the waiter dude showed up, so I whipped out a credit card and paid the man. Some timing! Boy, I'll tell ya, I took Kurt's lessons about banks and cards and checks and shit to heart when we got a pad. Taka'd be so proud of me, ha ha ha. One thing about not havin' a history, yer credit is good. But then, I didn't dare use them cards too much. I just didn't like the idea of owing someone money.

Still, all the paying crap gave Yui time to think things over, which was probably a good idea. I mean, at some point, we're gonna have to talk about the past, because obviously it still bothered her, but I really wanted her to think of me as Glen. Not as Suzaku Warrior Tasuki. Not as a former enemy. As much as BEING Tasuki meant to me, and boy did it mean a lot, I'm still someone who grew up in 20th century NYC, and maybe fallin' in love with Yui Hongo from Tokyo. Damn, there's a thought! I was fallin' in love with Yui. Maybe avoiding the issue wasn't the best idea, since we seemed to keep dancin' around it, but at the same time, I just thought it would be better for us to be friends first. With any luck, we'd be more than friends despite the past. Or maybe because of it.

Yui looked at me, and she nodded again and said, "Ok, Glen. I think that's a good idea too."

SAFE! Whew. Excellent. "Great! So, what time d'ya want me to pick you up tomorrow?"


	10. Chapter 10: Face Up

Chapter Ten: Face Up

He was late.

Yui fidgeted with her watch again and looked up and down the street. She waited in front of her hotel in the Sunday morning sunshine and told herself that fifteen minutes late didn't mean he stood her up. Besides, Glen would not stand her up. She hoped.

She teetered on the verge of giving up on him and hailing a cab when she heard someone hollering. She looked up the street again and saw a lunatic on a red classic Vespa shaking his fist at a cab. The cabbie yelled some colorful epithets back at the scooter-rider as the rider gunned his machine past the yellow cab and zoomed right towards the hotel. Just as Yui thought she'd have to jump out of the way, the Vespa squealed to a halt before her.

The rider popped off his helmet, revealing a familiar red head. "'Morning, Yui! Wanna ride?"

"Glen? What are you doing?" He had on jeans, tattered sneakers, a black tee-shirt, and a secondhand purple windbreaker of some sort of auto racing team.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late, but I hadda bit of trouble convincing the guy at the rental place to let me have this one. He wanted to rent me a new Honda model, but I liked the look of this classic better." Glen stood and waved his hand at the Vespa. "I thought this would be a cooler way to get around than the subway, or payin' for cabs all day. It's even got LoJack if it gets stolen! I cut a good deal on it." A second helmet was strapped to the seat, and Glen unhooked it and held it out to her. "Your chariot, my lady!"

Yui hesitated. "Glen, have you driven one of these around the city before?"

He grinned. "Nope."

"Do you even have a driver's license?"

"Nope!" His grin seemed to indicate that he was very pleased with himself for getting the rental without producing a license.

Yui just stood there. This was so illegal. 'Remember, he WAS a bandit,' she thought.

"C'mon, Yui!" Glen burst out laughing. "Of course I have a fricken license! Kurt and I got 'em months ago – it's a motorcycle license. What, did you think I'd really be that dumb? You can trust me. I promise I'll get myself killed first, ok?"

Laughing, Yui finally agreed, though she wondered briefly what the statistics were for scooter-related accidental deaths in the New York City area.

Minutes later, Yui wasn't sure that she'd been sane when she'd agreed to this madness. Glen seemed to treat all traffic laws as mere suggestions. While she clung to him, he swerved around cabs, terrified pedestrians by popping up on curbs occasionally, and ran red lights by following the walk signs. Still, when he grinned that two-fanged look that said 'Hang on!' and gunned the Vespa up 5th Avenue, she found herself laughing with delight, clinging to his jacket and enjoying the ride.

Glen drove them to an older looking building facing a park. As Yui removed her helmet, Glen chained the Vespa to a lamppost.

"The Cloisters," he said, waving his hand up at the building.

"What is it?"

"The Met's Medieval museum. I think it's kinda cool. We'll hit MoMA, too, if you want."

Glen had planned on two museums! Yui smiled to herself. Obviously, he'd thought about her tastes more than his own. How nice, to be the center of someone's attention.

They spent a pleasant 2 hours wandering through the Museum. Yui could have spent all day, and much to her surprise, Glen was also willing to stop and admire and discuss every piece, but they both agreed that there was so much more to see in New York than just one museum. They went on to the Museum of Modern Art right away, as it was nearby. Inside, Glen led her straight to one small gallery room.

"There," he said in satisfaction.

Yui sighed. Glen continually amazed her, she thought as she examined the painting. "What do you like about this one so much?"

Glen shrugged. "I guess it reminds me of, um, warm summers. I like to.. you'll think I'm stupid."

"No, I won't!"

He blushed. "I like to look at it and pretend I'm living there. In the painting. You know, I never lived anywhere but in the city. Hell, Central Park is as close to the country as I've ever gotten. And I guess it reminds me a bit of… you know where."

Yui nodded. "I can see that." She nodded towards another by the same artist, this one a self-portrait. "What do you think of that one?"

"I don't. Kurt likes that one better, says it's an honest image, but I think he's full of crap." Glen turned back to the first painting, smirking slightly. "I'd rather live here," he indicated his favorite, "than live with that crazy fucker," and he dismissed the bandaged visage of the artist.

Yui giggled at Glen's assessment of one of the greatest artists to ever live. "Well, if he wasn't crazy, he couldn't have painted that."

"Oh, I don't know. Kurt did a copy of it for me. It's in my room." Yui laughed again. Abrasive street-smart model Glen Rowe slept under a copy of VanGogh's 'A Starry Night.' It gave him a rather romantic glow in Yui's mind, which Glen immediately ruined by making several hilariously rude comments in one of the installations that had Yui wiping her eyes and avoiding the glares of museum employees. They didn't stay in MoMA nearly as long, since Glen's loud commentary on Warhol's probable personal habits had other patrons complaining. Yui cut their visit short before they got thrown out.

Once on the road again, Glen drove them into a tangle of skyscrapers. Yui was confused until they took a turn and burst into incongruous sunlight and a blasting cacophony of construction noise.

"Oh!" she gasped as Glen slowed them. When they stopped, Glen craned his neck around to look at her.

"Welcome to Ground Zero."

Yui couldn't find any words. The scene looked like so many other urban construction sites, but at the same time, an air of sacred silence seemed to hang over the area. She knew from news coverage where everything used to be. Yui dismounted the Vespa and removed her helmet. She started to reach into her purse for her camera, then halted. Somehow, snapping a bunch of photos seemed disrespectful.

Glancing back at Glen, she asked, "Were you here?"

He nodded, waving a hand up the street. "Canal Street is right up there. That's Chinatown. I live there." He sighed. "It was fuckin' scary, that's what it was. The roarin' and the sirens, and the people fuckin' runnin' around. Then, the fricken buildings fell down and there was this WALL of smoke and shit came down the street. Kurt and I had just gotten our first shithole pad, we were so psyched, and suddenly the fuckin' world was comin' to an end."

"I can't imagine it. It must have been terrible."

Glen grimaced. "Of course you can imagine it! Hell, I imagined what I KNOW you've seen! I half-expected it!"

"What are you talking about?" Glen just stared at her like she was insane. What could she possibly have in her experience that would relate….. oh. Either the first summoning in Tokyo, or even the manifestations of Tenkou would fit the bill. But that destruction was reversed, those lives were restored. The fall of the World Trade Center was not the result of a battle between otherworldly gods, or the actions of a demon. It was caused by evil born in the hearts of men of this world. Somehow, that made it all the more horrifying and disgusting, for while one could profess to not understand the motivations of gods or demons, one could not deny the evil that can grow in the hearts of humankind. And Yui understood THAT better than most.

She sighed and looked across the gaping hole in the ground with its hive-like bustle of activity. Sometime soon, she'd have to lance the wounds in her soul. Could she ever absolve herself? If those that perpetrated this horror were terrorists, what did that make Yui, who allowed herself to be used as a force for evil, twice? In her mind, none of her actions to help had made up for her actions to hurt.

"Hey." Glen called gently. "You ok?" His voice betrayed his concern.

Yui turned back to him. She tried to compose herself, but Glen's expression of worry and his hand reaching out for her tugged at her heart. How on earth did Miaka resist? Yui wondered as her stomach did a slow roll. She stared into his eyes as he began to grin, and suddenly, she saw her path to absolution if she could only find the courage to take it. Darting back to the Vespa, she jammed her helmet on her head and wrapped her arms tightly around Glen, taking comfort from his warmth and strength. She shook off her dark thoughts and wished that perhaps warlike Seiryuu could find peace in loving Suzaku. "Let's go!"

"You got it!" Glen didn't press her for explanations. He simply brought the Vespa back to roaring life and sent them flying through the streets again. In a very short time, they arrived at the waterfront, and Glen brought them to a point with a wonderful view of the Statue of Liberty.

"Oh!" Yui cooed in delight, and immediately snapped several pictures. "Can we go over?"

"There's a ferry." Glen said in a flat voice. When Yui looked back from her perch on the railing, she noted for the first time that Glen stood nearly 20 feet back from the railing, back with the scooter.

"Glen? Is something the matter?"

He shook his head. "Naw. Just… not a fan of the water, I guess."

Yui blinked. "Can you swim?" When he shook his head reluctantly, she realized something. "Glen! You're hydrophobic!"

"No I ain't! Uh, what's hy-dro-phobic?"

"You're afraid of water." She put her camera back in her purse and walked back to him and the scooter.

"I am NOT fuckin' afraid of water!" He handed her her helmet and they mounted the scooter. "I'm just afraid of fuckin' DROWNING!" With that, he sent them zooming through the streets again as Yui smiled to herself. She'd just have to wait for her next NYC trip to get over to the Statue.

They next stopped at a hot dog stand near Wall Street, which Glen claimed produced the finest dogs in all NYC. While Yui struggled with a 'foot long with everything,' Glen pointed out the Stock Exchange, Kurt's favorite building, and the steps where he and Kurt had been 'discovered'. He then took her to the top of the Empire State Building, where they leaned against the glass and speculated on whether a spitball from that height could really kill someone; to Times Square and past all the theatres of Broadway; to Central Park, and Columbia University, and all the great sites of this magnificent city.

The daylight grew dim as the city lights came to life in the evening. Glen drove them back to Chinatown, where they returned the rented Vespa and walked through the lively evening streets. They wandered, talking animatedly about what they'd seen that day, and about the fashion world. Eventually, Glen paused on one particular street corner.

"So," he began. "Um, I live right up here."

"You do." Yui stated.

"Yeah. If ya want, we could go up. I could show you my place, and I dunno, we could get some food delivered." He waited, but Yui made no reply. She was a little nervous about the whole idea. Just when she was about to say no, Glen said, "I swear nothing's gonna happen. I ain't gonna try anything. I just, I dunno. I just want you to see where I live. Plus, ya know, the place is full a' Kurt's art. Ya might like it." He shrugged. "'Course, you can say no if ya want."

Reminding herself that she should be perfectly safe with Glen, Yui realized that it meant a lot to him if she'd accept, if she'd trust him enough to go with him. Smiling warmly, Yui slipped her arm through his and said, "Glen, I'd love to. Can we order real New York pizza and sit on a fire escape like they do in the movies?"

Grinning, Glen squeezed her arm and led her along. "You bet! Whatever you want. 'Cept anchovies. I hate fuckin' anchovies!" Yui laughed at his expression as they walked.


	11. Chapter 11: Distant Early Warning

Chapter 11: Distant Early Warning

I was psyched. I mean, I was nervous and psyched. I was goin' through all that first time shit. First date, first time drivin' a scooter – 'kay so I lied a bit there. I mean, I DID have a license, Kurt and I did the classes, but that was a couple months ago, and I hadn't bothered drivin' since, so I was a bit outta practice, but I just sorta braved it out, and at least I didn't get us killed or nothing. First time I even CONSIDERED goin' on a boat vol-un-tarily, but thank Suzaku Yui didn't push it. I mean, if she'd insisted, I woulda done it. Hell, at this point, Yui could tell me to jump off a bridge and I'd do it. Kurt would be shocked. But ya know what? I don't think it's in me to be with a buncha different people, like the way he dates lotsa chicks. I think maybe I'm gonna love just one woman in any life. Yui's looking like a good candidate for this life, that's fer damn sure.

So when she said she'd come up to my place, I suddenly started worryin' about shit I never thought about before. Like, was the place clean? When I start worryin' about whether or not I left dirty underwear on my floor, then reality has definitely taken a turn for the weird!

We chatted a bit about what to order on our pizza as we walked up to my building. I unlocked the door and we hiked up the stairs. OK, lemme re-phrase that. Bein' a gent, I told her third floor and let her go first. Which meant that Yui climbed the stairs. I floated along behind, bein' a bit mes-mer-ized by her very nicely shaped butt! Damn, I gotta get my head examined. I ain't been this hormonal in a LONG time. Fuckin' Kurt. It's all his fault. 'Luscious Miss Hongo', yeah right. Shit.

I never knew khakis could be so hot.

We get to my door, and I said a quick prayer to Suzaku that everything's at least decent in there. And that Kurt's not entertaining or anything. And boy, Suzaku was on my side! I open the door, and it looked like Kurt actually CLEANED! Hot damn! He picked up, cleaned the kitchen, even cracked the windows so it smelled a bit fresher than usual. I snuck a peek in the bathroom while Yui checked out the living room, and Kurt even cleaned in there too! Usually, we only clean when Kurt is gonna be entertaining some chick. Sometimes, I swear, I love that guy.

"This is the place. Whaddya think?" I asked her.

She took a nice long look around. We were standin' in the living room type area. The public areas of the place, like the living room and kitchen, were all done by Kurt. He did everything in grey, blue, white, and like a steel blue-grey. I didn't much care, so he went to town on it. It's pretty cool. Looks a hell of a lot more upscale than it really is. Amazing how much cash you can save by doin' everything yerself. Plus, watchin' them TV shows, the one where the neighbors redo each other's living rooms and shit and the one where the husband goes away and the wife gets in folks to redo a room while hubby's gone for the weekend, those shows can teach you a lot about doin' nice stuff with no cash.

I grabbed up the remote for the stereo and clicked it on. "Hope you don't mind some tunes." Yui nodded absently as she looked around. A couple of small bookcases drew her attention as some dude on the radio sang "The closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned/ But that won't happen to us/ Because it's always been a matter of trust…." Musta been the classic rock station again.

I'm waiting on Yui's verdict, when finally she smiles at me and says, "It's a really nice apartment. Is that Kurt's work on the wall there?"

"Yeah." The painting was a messed up rendition of the NYC skyline. Cubist, I think it's called. I was suddenly realizin' something – you can't hardly tell I live here at all. What the hell have I been doing?

"Very nice. He's really talented."

I think I made some sorta noise. I was just kinda tweaked by the idea that I had no impact on this place, 'cept my own room. OK, cease and desist all fucked up self-realization crap. HOT CHICK IN THE ROOM! HELLO! "So, um, can I get you somethin' to drink? I'm pretty sure we got sodas in the fridge," I said to Yui. She said she'd like that, so I went into the kitchen area. I open the fridge, and there's a note from Kurt in there!

'Glen-chan.' He's such a smartass. 'Dude, you are so lucky to live with me you have no idea. I cleaned the place up a bit, in case you decided to bring the lovely Miss Hongo home at some point. You dog! I also braved the seventh level of hell and cleaned up YOUR room. Basically, I just hid all your dirty laundry in the closet, so don't go in there. Be good, remember you're a Celestial Warrior! Ha ha ha. –Kurt.'

Either I'm gonna kiss his feet or kick his ass, I haven't decided yet.

"We got Coke, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, and um, some beer!"

"Beer? How old are you, Glen?"

I looked up to see that Yui was looking at me sorta puzzled like.

"Oh, 20. Kurt's almost 22 though, it's his beer. I'm sure he won't mind if you want one."

Yui smiled. "Coke is fine."

"Right!" I pulled out the bottle and went for a couple of glasses. I guess she wandered around.

"Is this your room?" Yui called. One thing about walls that don't go all the way to the ceiling, you get good a-cous-tics.

"Is it green and orange?"

"No. Black and white."

"That's Kurt's. Mine's the next door. Green and orange."

I didn't hear any sort of reaction. Wonder if that's good or not. I grabbed the glasses and went back to the living room. "Yui?"

"Down here!" Her voice came from the hall. She musta found Kurt's studio.

SHIT! THE KONAN PAINTING!

I quick ditch the glasses on the coffee table and zip down the hall in time to see her let go of the curtain and move further into the studio. I catch up to find her standing in front of the painting, just sorta staring at it.

"Yui?" I walk up and look at her. Her eyes are huge.

"Is that….. is that Konan?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you said Kurt didn't remember."

"I told him everything the other night. Uh, see the notebooks? I wrote them. That's everything I remember, and I let him read it all. Then he painted this." I watched her real close. I couldn't tell if she was going to cry or explode or what.

"It looks…. Nice. Pleasant. Happy."

I shrug. "Yeah, well we were pretty happy there." MORON! That was about the dumbest think I coulda said.

Yui nodded, and this time, I did see tears start. "Until me."

I groaned. "Damnit, let's get this settled once and for all!" I grabbed her and gave her a little shake. "Everything happened the way it was meant to happen, ok? Maybe, maybe things could have been different, but shit happened and it's over now."

Yui's eyes flashed at me. "Shit? SHIT? Glen, I thought I was RAPED! I tried to KILL MYSELF! Then Nakago convinced me that it was all Miaka's fault, and I went after her for revenge! I GAVE THOSE ORDERS! Oh sure, Nakago gave me the ideas, but I gave Taka, I mean Tamahome, the kodoku! I ordered spies and assassins and went to Hokkan and Sairo and made Seiryuu seal Suzaku away. I DID IT ALL!"

I was in total shock. "You thought you were raped? But, the Priestess had to be a virgin. Didn't you figure that out?"

Yui looked livid. "NO-ONE TOLD ME!" she shrieked. I let her go and she stumbled away, gasping for air. I had no clue what was going on. She continued to yell. "I had noone to help me! Noone but Nakago! I was ALONE! I was SCARED! I had Nakago feeding me bullshit, Soi glaring, Tomo cackling, and Suboshi chasing me around! I didn't understand why my seichi were so creepy, while Miaka – Miaka got to be loved! Miaka got everything! Why couldn't I have been Suzaku No Miko?"

"Hey! Miaka nearly died several times, and she thought Nakago had raped HER in Hokkan too!"

"You think I don't know that? And that's just one more thing that was MY FAULT!" She spun to stare at the painting again. "I ruined this happy pretty place. I got your friends killed. And now, you want to DATE me? How insane can this all get? I am Seiryuu! I am your enemy!"

Now she was looking at me with this furious look on her face, and all of a sudden I got it. I looked right back at her and said, "It wasn't fair."

She froze and gasped, "It wasn't fair." And she fell to her knees, sobbing.


	12. Chapter 12: A Farewell To Kings

_New AN: Well, sorry about the delays. I've been remarkably uninspired to finish this one, but I had forgotten that the last few already-written chapters were not up here. So, I'll put the rest up one at a time. I'll try to finish this soon, really I will. But I've got other fics and projects going too, so don't hold your breath – I won't be held responsible for suffocations. Stay tuned to my Profile for a PoTO fic, more LOTR, and some Van Helsing. _

_Don't forget, the chapter titles are all song title from the band Rush, and I encourage you to check out the lyrics - they were picked for a reason!_

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_Original A/N: Hello. I know it took quite a while for me to get Chapter 11 up, yet here's Chapter 12 already! Summer madness at work, plus long vacation, plus writers block, held me up. However, I've recently been re-inspired. Also, in this chapter, I'm doing something a little different. While alternating POVs, I've never before written a single scene from BOTH Glen's and Yui's perspectives. Until now. I think Yui deserves it.

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_

Chapter 12: A Farewell to Kings

Funny, but the apartment really didn't seem to be Glen's style at all. Obviously, he'd let Kurt handle everything. But then, that told her something about Glen's personality as well - that he would do much to let others be happy. Like the museums today.

Yui smiled to herself as she wandered down the hall. It was still definitely a bachelor's pad. It had that same sort of indefinable 'male' scent that Tetsuya and Keisuke's apartment had had.

Glancing into a side room, she was surprised at the starkness of the décor. "Is this your room?" she called to Glen.

"Is it green and orange?" His voice was faint from the kitchen.

"No, black and white."

"That's Kurt's. Mine's the next door. Green and orange."

Yui moved to the next door and looked in. The room was a riot of green and orange, almost painful to the eyes. The full-sized bed was roughly made up, covered by an orange tiger-print spread. The copy of "A Starry Night" was the one contrast in the room, its cool blues and yellows an oasis in the space. A green carpet covered the floor, and the walls were mottled oranges. Yui giggled to herself and stepped back. She didn't dare investigate further. At least, not until she felt much more comfortable with this… relationship? Yui smiled at herself and headed for the curtain at the end of the hall. A relationship. With Glen. What a remarkably nice idea.

Pushing aside the curtain, she heard Glen call for her. "Down here!" Yui called back. She glanced around the large unfinished space. This must be where Kurt painted – the place was a mess of paint splatters, filthy tarps, paint cans and brushes strewn everywhere. Then she spotted the three large canvasses propped up in plain view.

They were remarkable. They were magnificently painted. It was everything she remembered, and everything she knew herself to be responsible for destroying.

"Yui?" She felt more than heard Glen approach. Worry rolled off him in waves as he stood next to her.

"Is that….. is that Konan?" Yui asked quietly. As if she needed confirmation.

"Yeah."

"I thought you said Kurt didn't remember." Not that she knew what she was talking about. Struggling to maintain a rational outlook, she noted the details. Especially the tiny blue warrior charging the red warrior. She'd not seen that. Though she knew, in a sick sort of way, that Nakago planned on killing the Konan Emperor, simply because… because he could. Just as she'd sent Miaka home, intending on keeping her away from Tamahome, just because she could. Of course, that didn't work. It never worked.

"I told him everything the other night. Uh, see the notebooks? I wrote them. That's everything I remember, and I let him read it all. Then he painted this." Glen seemed to be almost babbling, trying to downplay the painting. She knew he was watching her for some sign of a reaction.

"It looks…. Nice. Pleasant. Happy." 'I ruined this land. My petty stupidity…' Yui thought.

"Yeah, well we were pretty happy there." Instantly, Glen grimaced. He was trying to be so careful, it really was rather sweet, Yui thought wistfully. Pointless, but sweet.

Yui felt her eyes well up. This will never work. How could Glen, how could Suzaku Seishi Tasuki ever forgive? "Until me."

Glen groaned. "Damnit, let's get this settled once and for all!" He grabbed Yui and gave her a little shake. The intensity of his gaze startled her, and his voice was low and deadly serious. "Everything happened the way it was meant to happen, ok? Maybe, maybe things could have been different, but shit happened and it's over now."

Stunning, how he could trivialize it. Suddenly furious, Yui glared at him, wanting to slap him silly for his obtuseness. "Shit? SHIT? Glen, I thought I was RAPED! I tried to KILL MYSELF! Then Nakago convinced me that it was all Miaka's fault, and I went after her for revenge! I GAVE THOSE ORDERS! Oh sure, Nakago gave me the ideas, but I gave Taka, I mean Tamahome, the kodoku!" She reeled mentally from the disbelief that Glen could be so Zen about it all. Maybe reincarnation had ruined his mind. "I ordered spies and assassins and went to Hokkan and Sairo and made Seiryuu seal Suzaku away. I DID IT ALL!" She wanted to hit him, wail, tear her hair. A thousand hidden hurts, complaints, fears, and tears were forcing their way up, given free rein by those three silent canvasses, witnesses to a world she nearly destroyed in her own foolishness. But it was not enough to recognize her own faults. She'd never asked to be a priestess! She'd never done anything to deserve the guilt she lived with.

Glen gaped at her. "You thought you were raped? But, the Priestess had to be a virgin. Didn't you figure that out?"

She couldn't believe it. He really didn't have any idea what she'd gone though. So much he remembered, and yet, so much Glen didn't know. One tiny corner of her mind gasped in relief that Miaka, who did know what Yui believed to have happened, never told anyone. "NO-ONE TOLD ME!" she shrieked. Glen released her, perhaps in surprise, and she staggered to regain her balance, hyperventilating to try and maintain some semblance of emotional control. "I had no one to help me! No one but Nakago! I was ALONE! I was SCARED! I had Nakago feeding me bullshit, Soi glaring, Tomo cackling, and Suboshi chasing me around! I didn't understand why my seishi were so creepy, while Miaka – Miaka got to be loved! Miaka got everything! Why couldn't I have been Suzaku No Miko?" That last was like a wail to the gods. Why me? Oh Gods, why did I have to shoulder this? Why did I have to be the one to play Judas Iscariot?

"Hey! Miaka nearly died several times, and she thought Nakago had raped HER in Hokkan too!" Glen's voice held a note of defensiveness.

Yui almost sneered. Of course, precious Miaka had had her wonderful Seishi to help her through it all. "You think I don't know that? And that's just one more thing that was MY FAULT!" She spun to stare at the painting again. I am a world destroyer. I never asked for it. I was played. Played like a piano, a violin, played into a roll I never wanted. And all she ever did want…. "I ruined this happy pretty place. I got your friends killed." All Yui ever wanted was to be loved, and to deserve it. Well, it wouldn't happen now. She'd make sure. She didn't deserve someone as nice and funny and sweet as Glen Rowe, and she'd make damned sure he stopped this right now. "And now, you want to DATE me? How insane can this all get? I am Seiryuu! I am your enemy!"

There was a moment of silence. She glared at Glen, challenging him to take up the mantle of warrior again against her. By the four gods, she thought wildly, if she had to be the devil, then she'd be it. Perhaps by accepting her evil somehow, she'd find peace. It had worked for Nakago…

Glen's expression was blank a second, but then it seemed to melt. Compassion filled his eyes as he looked at her, like he could see right into her soul and understand. "It wasn't fair," he said softly, as if agreeing with something that hadn't even been said.

Yui froze, sucking in a lungful of air as if preparing another tirade. His words penetrated her mind like a needle. In three words, Glen had managed to nail every dark feeling in her soul. It wasn't just that she felt guilty. The guilt was just a facet of her feelings of needing to atone. Her fear was the fear that she could never make up for what she never could have controlled in the first place. His words were so simple. The wail of a child, who doesn't understand the world, just as Yui never understood why she had to stand so alone all the time, why she had had to be the bad guy.

"It wasn't fair." She agreed. Dear gods, he DID understand. As quickly as the rage came, it left, leaving exhaustion and sorrow. She dimly felt herself collapse to her knees, burying her face in her hands.

Almost as quickly as she fell, Glen knelt beside her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her as she cried. Her tears were as much humiliation as sorrow. She couldn't hide from him now. Before, she had fled, but even then thoughts of Glen had driven her back to him. Now, as her frame spasmed in an almost unconscious wish to get away, Glen's arms only tightened around her.

As if reading her thoughts, Glen whispered hoarsely, "You're not running away from it this time, Yui Hongo!" She felt his heart beating steadily as he held her against his chest. He didn't try to say stupid comforting things. He just held on as she trembled.

Finally, she raised her head. Solemnly, Glen gazed into her face. "Shit happens." He said, as seriously as a priest.

"And it's not fair." Yui agreed, serious as well. She sighed, feeling a loosening of a knot in her heart she'd hardly noticed before. With her sigh, Glen's arms loosened a bit, as if recognizing that her ability to relax meant that he could trust her not to run. Yui finally let go of some of the bitter resentment she'd felt for so long, and thus began to heal.

They both shifted a bit. They ended up sitting on the floor instead of kneeling. Glen still had his arms around her, but they both semi-faced the paintings of Konan.

"You wanna talk about it?" Glen asked.

"What's there to tell? I was manipulated." Yui sighed. In a way, that was the truth.

"Uh-huh. How long you gonna keep that one going too?" There was something sarcastic in his voice.

Frowning, Yui looked up. "What do you mean?"

Glen's amber gaze never left her face. "The victim act. You said yourself, you did it. You coulda trusted Miaka. You coulda realized Nakago was full of shit. You've been playing the strong pen-ni-tant, and now you're playing the hurting victim. I'm just wondering how many layers I gotta wade through before I get to you."

Yui's jaw dropped. She'd thought he'd understood, she thought he'd sympathized. "You…" she struggled for words as she struggled to get out of his grasp, but his arms were like iron bands around her.

"Listen to me!" Glen ordered. "The way I figure, you've got all these walls built up so you can deal with shit, but I keep getting' glimpses of this really amazing woman inside, and I think, one outburst like this, as much of a breakthrough as it might be, ain't gonna solve everything. But, if you stop keepin' everything bottled up inside, and just TALK about it, you might work through it all, and be yourself again." He smirked a bit.

Yui briefly thought it over. Much of what he said made sense. "Since when are you a psychiatrist?"

"Psychologist. I won't give out drugs." He smirked again at her startled expression at being corrected. "I watch a lotta 'Law And Order'." He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, their hair mingling. "I know, believe me I know, that you can't talk to a professional. And I got a pretty good idea that you can't talk to Miaka about it. So, you talk to me, ok?"

Touched, Yui asked, "Why?"

"Why should you talk to me?"

"No. Why do you care?"

Glen smiled, one of the warm ones she liked so much. "Like I said, I keep seeing this amazing woman that I think is the real Yui Hongo. And I'm…." He blushed. "And I think I'm falling for her."

Yui blinked in surprise. That was all the reaction she had time for as Glen tilted his head suddenly and kissed her warmly.


	13. Chapter 13: Cut To The Chase

_(AN: Another reposted chapter. Remember, look up the songs! All chapter titles are songs by Rush.)_

Chapter 13: Cut To The Chase

HOLY SUZAKU!

I can't fricken' believe I did that. I can't believe she LET me!

Amazin' how many things can be goin' through your head at once, you know? Like I don't think the kiss lasted for more than a few seconds, but just to free a-ssoc-i-ate for you:

God, she's soft.

Smells good.

Hope I'm doin' this right.

WOOHOO! That's the little head thinkin' for the big head again.

Any second now, she's gonna smack the shit outta me.

Do NOT let the hands wander!

I can feel her breath against my cheek.

How does one STOP kissing without bein' an idiot?

Who said stop? Not me!

Do I take the next step or not?

Better not.

Just a few more moments please!

Shit. Need to breathe.

Hey Suzaku, time can stop any time now!

I love you, Yui.

Think maybe I scared myself on that last one, because I just sorta moved back and we stopped kissing – DAMN! – her eyes opened and she just looked at me.

Hey brain! You can jump in here any time!

"Uh. Are you ok?"

Brilliant, Glen. Really fuckin' brilliant.

'Course, now she's smilin' at me, which has to count for something! She nodded and said, "Yes. I'm fine. You?"

For a smart girl like her, that sure is a dumb question. "Fine. Um…" Christ, what do you say after something like that?

Suddenly I'm saved. Her stomach growls. Like, really growls. Like, Miaka would be impressed. We both bust out laughing, and that totally gets rid of the tension. We calm and sorta lean our heads together again, just being close, you know, when MY stomach gets into the act. Yui laughs again and says, "Power of suggestion!"

"Yeah! Still want that pizza?"

"Mmm. Extra cheese?"

"You want it, you got it." I stand up, and help her up too. Still, I gotta make sure everything's cool. "Yui, I hope you don't mind… uh, what I did."

She seems to think a minute. "You mean the kiss or the talking to?"

I know I'm blushing. "Er, both, I guess."

She gives me this really sweet smile. "I don't mind. Either. In fact, thank you." And she goes up on her tip-toes and gave me a peck on the cheek. "I think I needed to get some of that out. Even now, I feel a little better."

I grin. "Yeah, like when you pop a blister so it heals faster."

"EEW! Glen!" She smacks me on the arm, but she's laughing again, so it's all good.

As we walk back into the living room, I can hear the stereo still goin'. Some dude is singing, "somebody's got to sacrifice/ if this whole thing's gonna turn out right/ Oh-oh-oh-oh, I would bleed to love her/ Oh-oh-oh, bleed to love her/ Oh-oh-oh-oh, I would bleed to love her." Brother, I SO know what you're talking about. Mental note: find out the name of that song.

Yui sits on the couch as I call in the pizza order. Al's up the street has great pies, and they'll send along a 2-liter of soda if you ask. I get us a large with extra cheese, onions, mushrooms, and pepperoni, and some Coke.

I look back at her sitting there. She's so beautiful, and there's so much goin' on in her, it could take the rest of my life to figure her out.

Sounds like a good way to spend my life to me. Not like I've got anything else going on.

I sit down with her. "So. Wanna tell me about it?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Hoo boy. I take her hand and just hold it. "I want to know everything about you."

She starts talkin'. And damn Seiryuu and all his seishi to the pits of hell! Had I known, had any of us known! Yui's not pulling any punches. She's tells me right out that she knows she was being a brat and selfish and all that. But to let her think that she'd been raped…. To deliberately push her into, well, madness I guess. I wanted to bring Nakago back just so I could kill him again with my bare hands.

But she doesn't blame him. And there's a whole 'nother issue we'll have to talk about someday.

The pizza shows up and we move to the 'balcony', otherwise known as the fire escape. She laughs and we spend a few minutes joking about movies. But between burnin' our mouths on too-hot slices and chugging Coke, she doesn't change the main subject.

Finally, we're sitting on the escape, I'm leaning against the building, and she's sorta leaning on me. We're both looking out onto the street and I've got my arms around her.

"Glen?"

"Yep?"

"I've never… I've never told anyone everything, the way I've told you. Thank you. Thank you for listening. For making it alright for me to feel the way I do about everything. For making it ok for me to let go. Thank you."

What does a guy say to that? She made me feel like I'd finally done something right with my life. I never knew that I could feel like this, like my whole world could revolve around the feelings of another person. Even before, when it was Miaka's feelings that were so important, it was still equally about me, you know? Hard to explain, I guess. Anyway, I still couldn't figure what to say to Yui, so I just hugged her tight, and leaned my cheek against her hair.

We just sat like that, quiet, for a while, 'til finally I pointed out that she had shows and I had shows, and I sure needed my beauty sleep. "Trust me, you DON'T wanna see me underslept!" Really, I thought she looked pretty beat, and I didn't want to subject her to Kurt this soon by lettin' her stay here.

I called the cab and went with her. On the ride to her hotel, she reaches over and grabs my hand. I give her a squeeze and she says, "Glen, I go home to Tokyo on Thursday."

"I know."

She looks at me like she's expecting for me to say more. "What are we doing?"

"Riding in a cab?" When she rolls her eyes, I figure it's time to be serious. "Am I gonna be your boyfriend now?" The 24-thousand dollar question.

She smiles and blushes and says, "Yes."

HE SHOOTS! HE SCORES!

Actually, I just grinned like an idiot. "Great! Then, I guess, we're gonna have fun while you're here, and then I'll come to Tokyo to see you as soon as I can."

"What about Miaka?"

"What about her?" Part of me is blown away that I said that, but I got this new theory. I think maybe I only remember being Tasuki because it gives me a connection to Yui.

"Well, won't you want to see her and Taka?"

"Sure. You can introduce us." I lift up her hand and kiss it. "Miaka, meet my boyfriend Glen. Glen, this is my friend, Miaka."

"But.."

"That was then. I'm not a seishi anymore." I pull her to me and hug her tight as the cab pulls up to the hotel. "Are you covering the Halbiter show tomorrow?"

She sighs, but lets me win. "Yes. Ten o'clock."

"I'm doin' that show. Wanna go out together after?"

Yui chuckles. "I've got another in the afternoon, but after that, OK." We get out of the cab and I walk her into the lobby. In front of the elevators, we stop and face each other.

"From now on, it's you and me against the world, ok?" I take both her hands. "You can tell me anything, anytime, ya know."

Yui smiles up at me and squeezes my hands. "I know. Same here. Goodnight, Glen-chan."

I'm grinning like a doofus again, I know it. "G'Night, Yui-chan." I lean in and give her short kiss. Then I let go and watch as she goes into the elevator and is gone.

'Course, the rumors of me doin' a 'happy dance' right there in the hotel lobby are totally bullshit….


	14. Chapter 14: Sweet Miracle

_Hey gang. Sorry about the delay – May has been uber-busy for me. Look for more updates in June._

Chapter 14: Sweet Miracle

Really, thought Yui, Glen made a terrible runway model. He didn't glide, he stalked. He glared at the cameras, rather than maintaining that professional remote look. He turned too fast and started tugging at uncomfortable bits before he got off the stage! Not that anything Halbiter could possibly be truly uncomfortable clothing – the designer was a master of casual wear – but of course the style alone was too preppy for Glen, Yui supposed, and therefore the uncomfortable act was put on as a matter of principle.

Kurt on the other hand wandered down the aisle with studied grace, bestowing a vaguely charming smile on everyone, turning smoothly, and gliding away. Yui looked forward to someday getting to know Glen's artist roommate. She hoped the sleazy charming act he'd pulled that the agency party was just an act.

The Halbiter show was everything to be expected, sporty casual wear with an abundance of boating-flag motifs. Rugby shirts and khakis, blah blah blah. Yui made some noncommittal notes, wondering why she'd wasted her time. Well, not that there was another show to see in this time slot, but still. TokyoLook specialized in edgier club styles, not over-privileged American yacht-club wear.

Maybe she could carve some time to shop some of the obscure boutiques and shops around Greenwich Village and SoHo. That might make an interesting article. Sidetracked, Yui bent her head to the notebook, jotting conceptual notes for an article about shopping in NYC. She'd just underlined the word 'websites?' when the sound of a throat being cleared drew her attention. To her shock, Glen stood on the runway looking down at her, a wicked grin on his face. Yui realized that he'd stopped in the middle of the show!

"What, too boring, Yui?" Glen asked, clearly, in a voice that everyone around was sure to hear.

Yui smiled back sweetly, her eyes conveying death threats. "Just making notes, Glen!"

Gasps filled the hall as Glen jumped off the risers, grabbed Yui for a quick kiss, then bounced back onto the runway. "See ya!" he called as he finished his circuit.

Yui sat stunned for a moment, then muttered, "I'm going to kill him!"

As soon as the show ended, Yui avoided the eager questions of a dozen other journalists, most of them gossip-mongering columnists, and made her way back to the green room. She got there in time to hear the show manager chewing Glen out as he finished changing into his street clothes. She peeked around the door.

"What in hell were you thinking, Rowe?"

"I was thinkin' that I was friggen bored. Boring clothes, boring music, boring show!" Glen shoved his feet into brando boots and stood. "This was the most lame-ass shit I've ever had to put on!"

The manager looked like he was about to have an apoplexy. "You little shit! I'll make sure you never do another Halbiter show or layout ever again!"

"Promise?" Glen snarled in his face. He strode for the door, causing Yui to skitter back out of the way. Glen froze when he saw her. "Hey," he whispered, the soft tone a marked change from the near-fury with which he'd spoken to the show manager. His face took on a wary expression. "You mad at me too?"

Until that moment, Yui had been pretty ticked off by the stunt, but something in Glen's posture told her to let it go. "No." She reached out and took his hand, one of the first gestures of affection between them that she'd initiated herself. He sighed with relief, seeming to deflate a bit. Gently, Yui pulled him back to the hall, where techies skittered about, pulling down lights and picking up the risers. She directed Glen to a chair and sat with him. "What's wrong?"

He shrugged, staring at their entwined hands. His thumb made circular patterned against her skin.

"Glen?"

Taking a deep breath, he asked, "This is real, right? I mean, us? I don't wanna…. I don't want this to be some kinda fling or something."

Yui stiffened a little. "Oh. No, I don't think this is a fling!" Was he already withdrawing from her?

He shrugged again. "It's just that, ya know, yesterday and last night was the best time I ever had, and, well, after I got home I started thinkin', yer going back to Japan in three days, and I guess I started thinkin' that maybe I wasn't really good enough for ya, and I was gettin' sorta depressed and all, so I didn't get much sleep, and then when I walked by, and you weren't even lookin' up, I just got… I dunno." He trailed off, out of steam.

Touched, Yui leaned towards him. With her free hand, she tilted his head up and captured his eyes with hers. "Glen, meeting you has been the best thing that's happened to me in a long time." And with that, she kissed him.

Time stopped for a bit as they explored each other's lips. Yui slid her hand along Glen's jaw, twisting her fingers into his flaming hair. His grip on her other hand tightened as he wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her close. He opened his mouth to nip at her bottom lip with his fanged incisors, and her breath caught in her throat. He'd sworn to her that he had no experience with this sort of thing, yet his every action drove her wild. Giggling, she stopped the kiss before things got to far. The flush on Glen's face told her that he was not unaffected by her either.

"S-sorry," he stuttered, flustered.

"Nothing to be sorry about with that kiss!" she sniggered.

"I mean, about the stunt. I really dunno what I was thinkin'. It's just, when you weren't even lookin' up…"

Yui grinned. "You felt insecure, like I was ignoring you."

Glen blinked. "Yeah."

"Actually, I was feeling bored too, and was making notes for another article. I don't think I'm going to even bother writing about this show. Ooo!" She checked her watch. "I have just enough time to get lunch and get over to the Anya Vie show this afternoon." She grinned cheekily, deliberately making little of Glen's concerns. She figured the best way to reassure him was to show it. Clinging to his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder, she wheedled, "Take me to lunch? Feed me, please!"

He laughed and they stood, much to the relief of a couple of techies wanting to collect the chairs. They had lunch at a chain restaurant that served soups and made-to-order sandwiches. Yui told him about the idea for a shopping-in-NYC article, and Glen offered to help with finding places to check out. Then they shared a cab to the convention center hosting the next show Yui had to attend. Glen had to report in at the Pendleton offices, so he couldn't hang out with her at the show.

"Will you be in trouble over The Stunt?" Yui asked. The incident had taken on capitals in their conversation. It was definitely a story to share with friends.

"Nah. Oh, Terry'll rant a bit, but he knows I don't do that preppy shit well anyway. It was an ex-pos-ure thing."

"Good. So, will you meet me here later?"

Glen grinned. "Of course. We'll do that shoppin' 'round the Village, maybe grab a camera too? If the places'll let you take pictures." They agreed on a time to meet and separated.

Two and a half hours later, Yui was bouncing with inspiration. The Anya Vie prêt-a-porter show had boasted 70s rock music, celebrities, and an eclectic mix of mis-matched pieces that, despite their clashing colors and fibers, just WORKED. Again, Yui had fallen in love with a piece, a fabulous jacket blazer-styled, but in faux leopard-fur and pleather trim. Mentally, she paired it with the black mini-dress and red boots from the Issacs show and giggled to herself. OK, so maybe fashion was more fun than she wanted to admit out loud. Since the sun was still high in the mid-afternoon sky, where it could be seen, she shed her suede jacket. She'd worn the black suede mini suit today with an electric blue fitted blouse that Miaka said emphasized her eyes. She'd already caught Glen checking out her legs earlier, so she knew she looked good, and the happy glow about her from the excitement of the Anya Vie show had passer-bys pausing for a second look.

"Hey sexy!" a familiar voice called. Yui turned and stepped into Glen's open arms. They shared another searing kiss right there on a sidewalk. Yui clung to him afterwards in hopes that her knees would keep working.

"Wow! Now that's a hello I can get used to!" Glen teased, seeming a little shaken himself. They looked at each other, rather startled at how quickly their desires could flare up. Since the night before, every moment they spent together seemed to heighten the connection they had, and the emotional intimacy they shared seemed to only encourage them to physical intimacy. Yui knew she wanted to wait, but felt torn between the wisdom of waiting and the knowledge that she had to leave in three days. Glen came across as both bewildered and delighted by these moments, and Yui knew they'd have to do something about it soon, but what that something would turn out to be, she couldn't guess right now.

"Whew!" Glen chuckled. "I lost total train of thought there!" His grin was electric. "You ready to shop?"

"Absolutely!"

She told him about the show as they cabbed it down to the Village. Glen said he was sorry he missed it. Apparently Terry had thrown a hissy fit just for show, then offered Glen two shows in London that showed interest in him. Glen was on the fence about the London shows.

"S'not like I wanna make a CAREER outta this shit, but on the other hand, what the hell else am I good for? Plus I got that Hawaii catalog shoot, and if I take the London gigs, I couldn't take the time after Hawaii to come see you, which would be con-ven-ient since I'd be halfway there already. If I do the London shows, I'll have ta fly right to England after."

"Glen… you don't have to come to Tokyo right away." Yui felt flattered that he'd already planned to come to Tokyo.

He turned to face her. "Wouldja want me to?"

Yui tried to be nonchalant. "Well, I know you want to meet Miaka and Taka again and…."

"Hang on! I said would YOU want me to come visit you."

Yui blushed. "Yes. I would love it if you came."

"Then it's settled. I can blow off these shows, they're just offers anyway. 'Sides, Terry knows I suck at this runway shit. He can line up a hundred magazines and ad shoots just as easily." He winked at her.

They spent the rest of the afternoon in all sorts of funky little shops, making each other try on clothes, taking time for Yui to talk to the proprietors, if available. One shop actually managed to get their house designer on the phone, a lunatic original punkette in her 40s who made all the plaid and PVC miniskirts sold by the store in her living room. Websites were duly noted, photos taken where permitted, and by the darkening evening, Yui had enough for a fantastic article about shopping for alternative club wear in the Village and SoHo.

"Hey, I got an idea!" Glen declared as they walked towards his place, having planned to eat dinner at a Chinatown buffet.

"What idea?"

"Well, all that talk about internet sites and shopping online got me thinkin'. Maybe I should get a computer. You've got one, right? Well, I hear that that email shit is cheaper than makin' phone calls. If I get a computer, we can email each other all the time, and then we won't get screwed over on phone bills."

Yui laughed. "Glen, that's brilliant! We'll go out tomorrow after the shows and get you a PC and a desk and a comfortable chair, and set you up with internet access." Pulling him to a stop, she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight. "You're so sweet, you know that?"

With a mock growl, he responded, "Geez, don't tell nobody!" but he hugged her just as tightly back.

Yui silently tried to ignore the intoxicating feeling of their bodies pressed together.


	15. Chapter 15: Alien Shores

_AN: I know, I'm terrible, I'm scum! I'm so behind on both posting and writing. Please don't think I've abandoned this—I just need to find my muse and finish. She's around here somewhere... (checks the hall closet) Nope….. where the devil……._

Chapter 15: Alien Shore

Lemme make one thing perfectly clear. I'm not stupid.

Oh, sure, I may act like an idiot, mainly to goof off with Kurt, but every time I had Yui in my arms, I knew the score.

The score was that I wanted her so bad I could taste it.

I mean, I've got a good imagination, and cable television, I know all about sex for all that I've never had it. I only have a right hand, ya know? It's that first-person experience part that I don't have, and boy was I wishin' I did. 'Cause every time we kissed, I wanted more, but I didn't know how to go about gettin' it.

So Tuesday, after Yui covered some shows, we go to this store and she helps me pick out a computer and a desk and a chair, and a printer, and speakers, and all this shit! Damn, I didn't know you could do half the crap you can do with a computer. Plus, Yui said I had to buy this program to teach me how to type right, because she said if I don't learn it, I'll spend hours tryin' to write one email. Eventually, we get all the crap to a taxi, and back to my place. Thank Suzaku Kurt was home to help us get shit up the stairs.

Pretty soon, the three of us are sittin' on the floor, trying to put the desk together.

"Fuck the instructions."

"No, Glen, if you don't follow the instructions, the desk could fall apart and break the computer."

"The chair was very easy."

"Screw you, bro, you took the easiest job. As usual!"

"Here, do you have a power screwdriver?"

"Oy, do we have a power screwdriver?"

"Nope. I think there might be a regular one in the silverware drawer. Flat head or Phillips?"

"Um, Phillips. How did you do all the work in here without a power screwdriver?"

"Paint and nails."

Yui giggled.

Three hours later, we got the desk together. Yui showed us how to hook up the computer. It took a bit, but she signed us up for the Internet, and we got email addresses, which Yui stored in her Palm Pilot. Soon after that, Kurt left for a date, leaving me and Yui alone. Finally!

"Here, let me put some addresses in your book." She took over the keyboard, standing beside me. I figured what the hell, and reachin' up, grabbed her hips, and pull so that she's sittin' on my lap. She giggled, and Suzaku help me, she wriggled!

"What are ya doing?" I asked. I think I was a bit hoarse.

"Getting comfortable." She didn't look at me, but her ears were pink. Damn woman, she knew what she's doin' to me! I'm tryin' to control things by breathin' real even like.

So I check out the addresses. "Who's are those?"

She clears her throat, and then says, "The first one is me. Then there's Miaka and Taka."

"Oh." Wow. I could just click a button, and be talkin' to Miaka again. What the fuck would I say? 'Hey dumplin' head'? Shit, I think I'm kinda scared. 'Cause, we didn't really say goodbye or anything. And then, after that night in the inn -- well, let's just say if Miaka really hated my guts, I wouldn't blame her. But hell, was that even me? I mean, in that life, I kinda was a different person. I mean, I'm not too different now, there's been a buttload of par-a-llels, you know? But still, this life is not controlled by some holy destiny. I put the mark on my arm this time, not Suzaku.

And maybe, I'm starting to think about things differently too, since I met Yui. Sure, I see why she's not happy rememberin' her time in Kotou and Konan. I guess I was glad to remember, thinkin' it made me special or somethin', even when I was all alone in rememberin'. But now, like, what the fuck's the point? Nothin' I can do to change that time. Shit, I DIED. Everyone died. 'Cept Yui and Miaka. I'll even bet that Tama-boy really died too, otherwise how could he come here? I remember growin' up in New York as much as I remember livin' in Konan, so it's not like I just transferred or somethin'.

"Glen?" Yui shifted in my lap, turnin' so she's sideways and can look at me.

"Yui, can ya take Miaka's address off there?"

She blinked at me in surprise. "Sure. But I thought -- I mean, don't you want to contact Miaka?"

I actually shuddered a bit. I wrapped my arms around her, hiding my face against her neck. "Yui, how much do ya know about the whole Tenkou shit?"

"Well, a lot of it I read. Suzaku sent us a scroll so Keisuke, Tetsuya, and I could keep up."

I cringed. "So, I guess ya know about... About when I took Miaka to an inn, and what I tried ta do to her." I let go of her a little. She'll probably wanna get up and leave once she remembers. God damn, I feel so ashamed right now. It's just like when I was younger. Whenever I started feelin' like things were getting' good, with a girl, or even just life in general, I'd remember that night, and I just wanna crawl away and hide. And now I felt even worse, because before it was just me feelin' horrible, but now I had ta go and bring it up with Yui, and she's probably gonna get up and say she doesn't wanna see me any more, and I think I might just die if she does.

So I'm totally blown away when she puts her arms around me, and starts runnin' her fingers though my hair, which feels unbelievably good, and she says, "I remember you were attacked by that water demon, and were put under a spell. And I remember that you didn't do what it wanted you to, because you were too good to ignore Miaka's tears." She pulls me close and kisses my forehead. "And you burned yourself up rather than hurt Miaka or Taka any more." Her hands are magic, strokin' my head and neck. I sigh and hide my face. She's doin' somethin' to me, somethin' I can't even describe.

She put her hand under my chin and tilted my face up so I have ta look at her. Her eyes are big and blue and close, and she's smilin' just a little sad smile. "Miaka once described you to me. She said Tasuki could forgive anything except himself. I think, Glen, that it's time you learn to forgive yourself."

I look up at her, and it's like I'm lookin' at a goddess of mercy. She's smilin' at me, her eyes all soft and deep, and her blond hair is makin' a halo around her face, and all I can think is 'She's still a priestess.' And she's right, I can't keep beatin' myself up over this, otherwise I won't get nowhere in life. Just the other day, I told her to let the past go. Time to take my own advice.

I guess she saw what I was thinkin', because she smiled even wider, and she leaned forward and kissed me.

Oh Suzaku did she kiss me. It was like she was takin' all the life outta me and givin' it back all at once. Like a reflex, I wrapped my arms tight around her, just clingin', ya know? And then she opens her mouth and actually licked my lips! I was so surprised, I guess my jaw dropped, 'cause the next second she's got her tongue in my mouth and it's electric! I actually moaned, I think, and lightning went right though me, and right to you-know-where! In a flash, I'm frenchin' her back, and pretty soon she's moanin' too.

Suzaku, I can't keep this up. It's like I can't stop kissin' her. I want to do stuff with Yui I've only seen in late night movies on cable. I start movin' my hands around, and she's squirmin' and sighin' like she likes it fine. We're teetering on this stupid desk chair, thirty-nine ninty-nine, and I start thinkin' we might break it. So I get my arm under her legs and stand up, liftin' her with me.

Yui giggles and clung to me. Her lips are all red and wet and swollen and she looks so goddamned hot I can barely think anymore. "Where are we going?" she asks.

"Um, couch?"

She nods, so I move us to the couch and we curl up together there. God, she's the softest thing I've ever touched. We're kissin' again, and it's heaven, but I know there's more, and I just didn't know what to say or do. I mean, she might not wanna, it's only been a few days.

"Glen." She says suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"We can't -- we shouldn't go too far. I'm sorry, but it's only been a few days..."

I started laughin'. I couldn't help it. "I was thinkin' the same thing. It's OK if you don't wanna. I --- shit Yui, you know I'm not exactly a world class lover here."

She bit her lip, and gave me this look that was actually a bit naughty! "Well, there are some things we could do that aren't going-all-the-way, but are very nice."

My temperature went up a few degrees. "You're gonna have to teach me," I whispered. Had to whisper, 'cause I just about lost my voice.

Her grin was absolutely wicked.

And let me tell you, ain't NOTHIN' I learned that night on the New York City Public Schools' cur-ric-u-lum!


	16. Chapter 16: Bravado

_AN: Thank you SO much to everyone who's waited patiently for me to get back to this fic. It's only been TWO YEARS! Shame on me! This chapter is dedicated to KittyLynne, Roku Kyu, and especially Otaku Pitcher, for being such faithful reviewers, for all their encouragement_

Chapter 16: Bravado

_And if the music stops  
There's only the sound of the rain  
All the hope and glory  
All the sacrifice in vain  
And if love remains  
Though everything is lost  
We will pay the price,  
But we will not count the cost_

_--Rush, __Bravado__ (Peart/Lee/Lifeson)_

Yui paused while applying her lipstick. Something was different. Examining herself in the mirror, she couldn't quite place it. She wore the exact same outfit she'd donned for the Pendleton Agency party last Friday. It seemed like a lifetime ago! In five short days, so much had changed.

That's what's different, she realized. _I'm the thing that changed_. Since meeting Glen, she'd learned to not only let go of the mistakes of her past, but also to live again, to enjoy the closeness of another person. Last night they'd become closer than Yui had ever been with another person. It wasn't just physical intimacy; they didn't have sex. It was emotional. It was the way Glen grinned when he discovered Yui had ticklish feet, and the warmth she felt when he held her tight. It was the wonder in his eyes when he looked at her, like she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. It was the way she felt safe with him. It was a thousand things.

After a few hours of 'making out', he'd gotten into a cab with her and escorted her back to the hotel. In the lobby, he cocked his head and said, "Tomorrow's yer last night in New York."

"I know," she replied, sad already.

Nodding, he said, "OK, tomorrow we do something special. A big night out." He obviously had ideas, but he wouldn't share them with her.

But now, in just ten short minutes, she'd find out.

When she reached the lobby, Glen was waiting. Yui hadn't seen him all day. She paused, drinking in the sight of him. She'd gotten used to the slightly scruffy look he usually went about as, secondhand jackets and beat up sneakers. Now, she saw the model. This must have been what Michael and Terry of Pendleton had seen in the street rat sitting in a Manhattan square.

Glen had on a suit. A suit of such impeccable styling, you hardly noticed the loosened tie and unbuttoned collar. It was a dark charcoal, almost black, and the dark sapphire shirt and black and charcoal tie complemented it perfectly. Being the fashionista, Yui noticed the well polished shoes. Someone must have dressed him for the evening, and that person was brilliant. The fit set off his lean frame and tapered hips, and made the lankiness of his limbs look sexily languid.

His hair was combed and tamed, only one lock falling rakishly over his right eye. When he turned to look at her, his oddly amber eyes flashed.

"Hey," he said softly, holding out a hand to her. She willingly stepped into his embrace, letting him kiss her warmly. "You look gorgeous."

Yui smirked. "You look pretty good yourself. Now I see the model at last."

He mock-frowned at her teasing. "Are you saying I'm scruffy?"

She giggled. "Yes. Normally. But that's alright, it's part of your charm." He gave her a patently skeptical look.

"Hey, for you, I'll be the very model of…a model," he finished lamely, but she laughed anyway. "C'mon, your chariot awaits." He led her out of the hotel.

Of course, she didn't think he was serious. But the white carriage drawn by the beautiful white horse with liveried driver waited for them. "Glen! Oh my god!" she gasped.

He simply grinned and gave her a hand into the carriage. The driver took them on a sedate tour of Manhattan, with the twinkling evening lights and the soft breezes from Central Park. After an hour, the carriage pulled up before a particular restaurant.

"Is this really… Tavern On The Green?" Yui asked.

"It is." Glen hopped out of the carriage and offered his hand to assist her with a flourish. "And we're right on time for our reservation."

Letting him help her down, she asked only, "How?"

He smirked. "Terry's a total romantic."

Realizing the number of favors Glen owed for arranging this evening, Yui pressed a kiss to his cheek in thanks.

Glen spoke to the Maitre d', confirming their reservation, and shaking the man's hand. Yui suspected the passage of some sort of trip, because the Maitre D' didn't even raise a brow, but calmly and professionally led them through the Tavern to an intimate table for two along the great glass windows. He totally ignored Glen's loose tie. "Please, enjoy your meal in the Crystal Room," he said, after holding the chair for Yui and gently placing the napkin across her lap. She'd heard of such elegant service, but never expected to experience it. Across the table, Glen's smile verged on smirking.

"What?" she asked him.

"Just trying to enjoy the prissiness," he answered casually, causing her to giggle again. No matter what the exterior, he was still her irreverent street kid underneath.

They had a wonderful meal, though Glen again made comments and speculations about the other diners, causing her to laugh. Unlike the casual chain restaurant of their first date, here Yui couldn't laugh freely, and the need to restrain the hilarity made it even worse. Eventually, Glen didn't even have to say anything to make her convulse in silent laughter. He only had to roll his eyes at a neighboring diner and quirk one red brow, and Yui would have to cover her face with a napkin.

Finally, he let her calm down as the entrees were removed. They were just looking at each other, enjoying the company, when Glen extended his hand across the table. Yui didn't hesitate, she placed her hand in his, which he squeezed warmly, stroking his thumb across her knuckles.

"Yer perfect, ya know that?" he said, making her blush.

"So are you," she answered.

He shook his head, then said, "But there's one thing missing." She could only blink at surprise at him. What on earth did he mean? Then he pulled a long black box from his suit coat pocket.

"Here. This'll complete yer look." He turned her hand up, placing the box in her palm. She could tell right away that it was a bracelet box. Her heart fluttered a little. They'd come too far for her to leave tomorrow with just memories, but they both instinctively knew it was too soon for grander tokens. She drew the box to her, lifting the lid slowly.

The tennis bracelet twinkled in the candlelight. The stones, set in white gold, alternated with sparkling clear and lavender shine. She gasped, enchanted.

"Uh, they're zircon, not diamond. I mean, I wanted diamond, but they didn't have any with amethyst," he explained nervously.

"I love it! But why amethyst?"

Glen ducked his head, suddenly shy. "Well, um, Kurt told me, blue and red together make purple."

Yui's eyes shot up to his face. "Oh, Glen. That's beautiful." If they weren't in one of the swankiest restaurants in the city, she might have just leapt over the table and kissed him. Instead, she gripped his hand, squeezing it tightly, before immediately putting on the bracelet.

Later, as they left, she did kiss him, thoroughly and happily, right in front of the Tavern. He held her close, burying his face in her hair. "God, I wish you didn't have to leave," he groaned. She snuggled closer, feeling bereft already.

Wanting to make the evening last, she suggested, "Let's walk. It's nice out."

He agreed, keeping an arm around her shoulder as they walked.

They talked of little things, of the city, of their jobs. She told him about her apartment, the high school she – and Miaka – had gone to. He told her about making bicycle deliveries of Chinese food for cash under the table, of learning how to curse in Italian, Chinese, and Yiddish as he grew up on the streets of the city.

They were in their own little world, just clinging to their last evening together, when someone appeared in front of them in the shadows between two lampposts.

"Hold it," the voice of the man was rough, even more heavily accented of the streets than even Glen's. "Gimme yer wallet, the bitch's purse…. And that pretty bangle."

Yui shrunk against Glen's side. He shifted slightly, shielding her with his body. "Look pal, we don't want no trouble," Glen said.

The man suddenly brandished a gun in Glen's face, and Yui went cold with terror. "Well, you got trouble, asshole. You wanna get tough wit me? Wanna show off for yer bitch? What say I pop you one and show that bitch what a real man can do?"

The next few seconds happened so fast, Yui couldn't believe she remembered it. Glen's posture went rigid. She didn't look at him, her eyes were locked on the gun. But suddenly, Glen's hand flashed out. Yui shrieked at the explosive sound of the gun firing, but the shot went harmlessly up and away, Glen's hand forcing the mugger's wrist up. His fingers dug in, and twisted. The mugger yelled as his wrist broke, forcing him to drop the gun. Glen's other hand came up, driving a forceful punch across the man's face. Blood sprayed.

The mugger tried to reach for Glen, but the redhead followed the punch with an elbow to the man's chin, forcing his face up, making him lean backwards. Dropping the broken wrist, Glen took one step to the side, and with a roundhouse kick that would make Jet Li proud, sent the mugger sprawling. Glen bounced forward and kicked the downed man again, this time sending him into unconsciousness.

He turned back to Yui, and she gasped at the expression on his face. "You OK?" he demanded. She nodded, shellshocked. He only paused to grab up the gun, carefully, with a handkerchief he produced from a pocket, then pulled her against him and hustled them both away, practically running. As they reached the street, he stopped their headlong rush. He darted over to a postbox, dropping the gun through the slot. Then he was back at her side. "C'mon. TAXI!" His bellow nearly deafened her, the gunshot still rang in her ears.

He shoved her into the cab, slamming the door hard after himself. He barked the name of her hotel at the driver as he gathered her close.

"Sure thing, buddy." The driver eyed them in the rearview mirror. "Where's the fire?"

"Almost got mugged," Glen explained shortly.

"You both alright?" Glen nodded at the man's question. "Ok…"

Yui shivered in Glen's protective embrace. She still felt the terror of that moment, the fear that Glen or she would be harmed. When she shut her eyes, the whole moment played in her head again. The threat, the gun, Glen's fighting skills. And then, she remembered something else. Something she tried immediately to dismiss as pure adrenalin fantasy. Because she seemed to remember, when Glen fought…. But no, it must have been a trick of the light, a strange reflection off his blue shirt…. But she could almost swear that Glen…

Had glowed a little.

_Purple._

TBC


	17. Chapter 17: The Speed Of Love

Chapter 17: The Speed Of Love

_We don't have to talk  
We don't even have to touch  
I can feel your presence  
In the silence that we share  
Got to keep on moving  
At the speed of love  
Nothing changes faster  
Than the speed of love  
Got to keep on shining  
At the speed of love  
Nothing changes faster  
Than the speed of love  
My heart goes out to you_

_--Rush, __The Speed of Love__ (Peart/Lifeson/Lee)_

I don't know what happened. One second, I was totally willing to let that asshole have my wallet, whatever, even the bracelet. Shit, I could always get Yui another. But the moment that crack-head asshole _threatened Yui_…..

It was a sudden rush of absolute RAGE. But it wasn't just that I got pissed, ya know? I felt the rage, and there was something righteous about it. _Righteous._

And then, I swear ta God, _someone else took over._

I do NOT know how to fight like that, I never had ta fight in my life. I always avoided fights, all my life. I hated it, probably because my ma used ta hit me. But when I moved, it wasn't me.

_Tasuki_ took over. _Tasuki_ took out that mugger. All my life, I kinda felt like maybe remembering being Tasuki was as much of a curse as a bonus, 'cuz it made such a hell of my childhood. It also kinda always had this _distance_, like even though I remembered all of it, it sorta happened to some other guy.

Not anymore.

For those like three seconds, _I was Tasuki._

I think that shook me up about as much as anything. When I looked down at that guy, out cold on the ground, it was like no time had passed. I mighta been transported right back to Reikaku, or Konan. It musta been on my face, cuz when I turned to get Yui, she looked pretty freaked out. So I grabbed the gun, so that asshole wouldn't have it no more – and using that handkerchief thing was something I remembered from cop shows on TV – and hustled us outta there. Droppin' the gun in the mailbox was something I remembered from a movie too. But mainly, all I wanted to do was get it away from me. I still could feel things like I was Tasuki, and that gun had bad feelings all over it.

Once in the cab, I just hung on to her. Holy Suzaku, that could've gone south so bad. I don't hardly remember the ride, I just held her. I don't know which one of us was shaking harder.

We got to her hotel, and I don't know what I flung at the guy. Hell, I mighta paid fifty bucks for a five dollar ride. What the hell do I care? We were safe. For the first time, I went up to her room. Yui's hand shook as she used the card thing to get us in the door. Once inside, I think we both had the same thought. We just collapsed together.

We didn't talk. She was probably terrified and I was completely freaked too. I didn't know what to think, what to say. I thought about apologizing. Jeez, I put her at risk like some sorta bozo.

We were lying together face to face on the bed, just kinda clinging. Her eyes opened and met mine, so wide and blue, and I guess I started to say I was sorry, but she just kissed me. She kissed me so hard, so totally, it felt like it restarted my pulse. When she pulled back, I swallowed hard, and at last, that bitter adrenalin taste in my mouth went away.

She musta felt something break loose too, because she sighed, and her eyes went soft. She got up, and grabbed something from her suitcase. I heard the water going in the bathroom. When she came out, she was all washed up, and wearing PJs. So I shucked off my shoes and socks, and my shirt and pants. I had on an undershirt and boxers, so it wasn't nothing sexual. We got into bed together, and just held on to each other until we fell asleep.

In the morning, I woke up just after she did. I guess I felt her move. I kept my eyes closed, and felt her touch my face. Then she got outta bed, and I kinda watched through my lashes as she got her stuff together, and went into the bathroom. When I looked at the clock, I was pretty surprised, because we really slept late. Yui showered, and when she came out, I got up and traded, taking my clothes into the bathroom. I took a fast shower too, and though I hated to get back in ta the same clothes, I didn't have a choice. When I came out, she was dressed, and she was packing up her stuff in her suitcase.

I was feeling so rotten about the night before, and how it ruined the whole trip, I'm sure, and I was thinking that she'd never come back to New York again. I was loosing her, I thought. I wanted to apologize still, reassure her. I wanted to say I would go with her to the airport, and I'd come to Tokyo to see her as soon as I could.

But when I opened my mouth, what came was "I love you."

She stared at me. Her eyes were all wide and surprised again. She didn't seem to get it, so I thought maybe she didn't hear me. So I said it again. "I love you." Ya know, that gets easier to say the second time. She straightened up, and this time I know she heard me, because her eyes got all shiny. And I figured, hey, third time's a charm, so I gave it one more go. "I love you, Yui." See how I mixed it up there, using her name?

Yeah, gets easier every time. And this time, she responded.

"Oh, Glen!" Her breath kinda hitched, and then she like _launched_ herself across the room at me. I caught her, and we were kissing and kissing, and she was crying.

"Hey, hey! Don't do that," I said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Shut up. I love you too." Then she kissed me again, and I didn't mind that she told me to shut up, because SHE SAID SHE LOVED ME.

Once more: YUI LOVES ME.

"Oh, god, and I have to _leave_," she moaned, but I just hugged her tight.

"I'll come to Tokyo, as soon as I can. I swear. An' I'm sorry about last night, honey, I'm so sorry…"

"No, no, you protected me! I was so scared, and you just took him out like…." She trailed off, looking up at me.

I shrugged. "Once a warrior, always a warrior, I guess." Her eyes got all soft again, and I told her, "That's fine. I'm _glad_. Who knows what woulda happened…" I pulled her tight again, and whispered, "But I'm _yours_ now, you get it? _Your_ warrior now."

She squeezed me so tight, she almost choked me. "Oh god, Glen, I love you! I love you so much. Thank you for protecting me, for everything, for just being you."

I laughed really weakly. "Ok, c'mon now. We haven't even gotten to the airport yet, none of this teary goodbye shit." I got her to giggle again, and we kinda got ourselves straightened out.

We had breakfast at the hotel, and they got a car to take us to the airport. I let the guy go when we got to JFK, 'cuz I could just as easy take the subway home. Of course, Yui's flight didn't leave for like three hours, but she had ta get in line for Security right away. So she checks her bag, and then we just stood there by the start of the line, lookin' at each other.

"Ok," I said. "Now you can get teary."

She laughed at that, but she _was_ gettin' all teared up, and maybe I was a little, too. I pulled her close into a hug, resting my face against her hair. We let a few minutes go by, just clinging to each other. Then she tilted her head up and kissed me, hard.

I didn't care what anyone thought, I kissed her back like there was no tomorrow. When we separated, I combed my fingers through her hair, and wiped her cheeks with my thumbs.

"C'mon now. No fallin' apart. Y'only met me a week ago, you can't be _that_ attached," I pointed out.

She laughed and answered, "Sorry, I've fallen head over heels for you, Glen."

"Oh, well, then, that's OK. In that case, you can sniffle all you want." She shook her head as she laughed at me. But laughing is better than crying. I kissed her again, and told her, "I'll be in Tokyo in a month. I swear. An' I'll email ya every day. I promise."

She nodded. "I'll meet you at the airport, and I'll answer every email."

"Good." One more kiss, fast, and then I let her go. It was about the hardest thing I've ever done. "Go on now."

Yui sighed. "Don't hang around. If I can see you while I wait, I might not get on the plane."

"Alright." Then like magnets, we lunged together for one last fierce kiss.

"Go!" she ordered, and I could hear her voice choke a little.

"Your warrior," I whispered in her ear, and then took a massive step back. She gave me a watery smile, then turned and walked away.

I split fast. She didn't want me hangin' out, so I wouldn't. But damn if it wasn't hard to leave her there, in that big-ass Terminal One all alone.

_She's all right,_ I told myself. _She's safe, the TSA is all over the place, and she's a Priestess for Seiryuu's sake, she can manage. She got HERE didn't she?_

Instead of heading for the subway, I went outside first. Walking a bit, I got out of the building. Right across the road, there was a little thing of grass and a tree. I walked over.

It was just afternoon enough that the sun was shining right down on me. I stuck my hands in my pockets and tilted my head up, feeling the sun on my face. I just wanted a minute to a-ccess, you know? In a week, I'd gone from a slacker screw up who got lucky enough to fall sideways into a pretty friggen lu-cra-tive job, to….

What? What was I now? In love, sure, no doubt about that. In love with one of the most fantastic women on the planet, I'm sure.

But there was something more. Something that started last night. Now that I'd been Tasuki, just for a moment, I felt… older. Grown up. Maybe a little more like I understood what that life was really about. It wasn't the gun in _my_ face, it was the threat to Yui that set me off.

Through my eyelids, all I saw was red from the light. And it was comforting. Like seeing Suzaku, and knowing everything was alright. Everything in my life was on the right path. I'd felt that way before we sailed from Konan, when we were all at the Palace together. With my Priestess and my brothers around me, I was the most comfortable and least restless I'd ever been. And now I felt almost the same, knowing that I'd somehow gotten a bit more together, a bit more connected to myself, plus, you know, loving Yui….

I opened my eyes, lettin' the sun sear me for just a moment before blinking and dropping my chin, lookin' around at the tree, the grass, that big damned black glass and steel Terminal One.

And ya know, everything was looking a bit brighter. Like there was a lot more available light.


	18. Epilogue: Freewill

Epilogue: Freewill

_You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.  
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.  
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill.  
I will choose a path that's clear;  
I will choose freewill._

_--Rush, Freewill (Peart/Lee/Lifeson)_

Yui's right knee bounced in a constant frantic rhythm. She couldn't prevent herself from the nervous twitch as she waited next to Miaka and Taka. She knew it was causing the plastic seats to vibrate, but Miaka and Taka kindly did not complain.

When she announced that she was going to the airport today, to meet her American Boyfriend, Taka immediately offered to drive, and Miaka exclaimed she had to come along. Yui very deliberately kept what she told him to a minimum. She and Glen had agreed over email that it was best not to. He wanted to keep his main connection to HER, not Miaka.

"_It was another lifetime," he wrote to her. "I'm not going to be just Miaka's warrior again. I'm YOUR boyfriend. I'm coming to see YOU, not Miaka."_

Of course, her vague descriptions had aroused their suspicions. She knew that Taka half expected this mystery boyfriend to stand her up. A half-way-around-the-world stand up was a bit much in Yui's opinion, but Taka was remarkably pessimistic about it all. Miaka very kindly refrained from any sort of speculation. Yui mentally rolled her eyes. Sure, they could be all righteous about it. They were a properly married young couple. How times had changed – Yui was now the scandalous one, the single girl living alone, with a no doubt uncouth foreign boyfriend.

Actually, she didn't care. According to the screen above their heads, the plane from Los Angeles was due to land in two minutes. Exactly eleven minutes after that, it would be at the gate. Soon, oh so soon now, Glen would come walking down the terminal.

Yui couldn't wait to see him again. And she knew he was excited to visit her. Night after night, they traded emails. Occasionally, he'd stay up late to instant message her to say good morning. As his typing improved, his emails grew longer and longer. He'd write to her of everything that happened in his day, every thought that crossed his mind. Even since she'd been in New York, she could tell he was maturing, becoming wiser.

"_It's weird, but I used to think of Tasuki as this 'other guy I used to be'. Now there's no distinction. He's me. I'm him. And the things that were so hard to learn the first time around come easily now." _

He no longer fought with female models or stylists, he said. Even Kurt had commented on the changes. Yui got a short email from the artist saying, "dunno what you did, but thanks! I don't have to apologize for him so much anymore."

They talked about so many different things in their emails. Movies, politics, even religion: how knowing first hand about the existence of gods made it both easier and harder to accept other religions. Yui finally confided the true nature of Seiryuu as she learned it while bonded with the dragon god. Glen told her about the connection the Suzaku seven had experienced with one another when they bonded together to give Miaka the power to defeat Nakago.

So many long conversations, all of them ending in their growing closer and closer. Now, after weeks apart, they'd be together again, and Yui could no longer wait calmly.

She leapt to her feet, bouncing lightly to try to see over the heads of the crowd. The display board flashed, informing them that Japan Air Flight 7 was at the gate.

Less than thirty seconds later, Yui climbed up on the seat to look over the crowds.

"Yui!" Miaka gasped, flushing in embarrassment. Taka looked anywhere but at Yui. She didn't care.

Finally, she spotted spiky red hair, a lean figure weaving its way through the crowds.

"GLEN!" Yui shouted, unabashed, waving her hand. His eyes met hers, and he waved back before doubling his pace, ducking around other passengers.

Yui jumped from the chair and rushed forward to meet him the instant he came through the security gate. She leapt with complete faith, and Glen caught her easily, spinning her around and laughing. They hugged tightly, then Glen dipped his head to capture her lips in a bruising kiss that expressed just how much he'd missed her.

"Hey, Yui-chan," he whispered against her lips.

"Hi," she breathed back.

"Yui?" Miaka's bewildered voice came from behind them. Yui squeezed Glen's arms.

"They insisted," she said quickly, in English. "Taka offered to drive, and Miaka had to come."

He nodded once, sharply. "Alright." Twining her fingers with his, Yui took his hand and turned to present him to her friends, his friends.

In calm Japanese, she said, "Miaka, Taka. I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Glen Rowe."

Miaka yelped at her first good look at Glen, staring.

"Glen Rowe?" repeated Taka in amazement. "_Genrou?"_

Glen's grin was wicked, sly and fanged. "Hiya, Dumplin'-head. Little Ogre," he said easily, in English.

"_Tasuki!"_ Miaka shrieked, throwing herself at Glen. He laughed and hugged her easily. Even more amazing was when Miaka stepped back, Taka strode up and hugged his brother warrior fiercely, and Yui could have sworn she saw tears in the dark haired man's eyes.

"Oh my god, Yui, you sly thing, you never said a word! Did you know? Did you know he was Tasuki? Oh my god, this is amazing! And Taka! This might mean the others are out there somewhere too!" Miaka ran on excitedly. "Tasuki, have you found anyone else? Where were you born? Oh, you have to tell us everything!" Her words tumbled one over the other, and all in rapid-fire Japanese.

Yui caught Glen's sudden confusion. "Miaka!" she called, drawing her friend's attention. "_Glen_ doesn't speak Japanese."

"Oh!" Miaka slapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry," she said meekly in English.

Taka's quick gaze caught Glen's discomfort, and the way he and Yui stood pressed against one another. "Come on, Miaka, let's go get the car. Yui, you and Glen-kun can get his suitcase, and we'll pick you up outside." He drew his again excitedly babbling wife away.

Yui quickly explained the plan to Glen, who nodded. He watched his first Priestess and her warrior husband for a moment as they walked away.

"What?" Yui asked softly.

He shook his head. "Somehow, I expected… I dunno. They look just like they did last time I saw them."

"That was just over a year ago for them," Yui gently pointed out.

"Yeah, and more than a lifetime for me." He hugged her again, pressing his face into her shoulder.

"You'll get used to it," Yui reassured him, for both their sakes.

"I know. Jus' wish I coulda had, oh, a week alone with you first, y'know?" Yui giggled at his tone, both whining and suggestive.

"Come on, you. Let's get out of this airport and go home." She tugged his arm as she started to walk.

In the next step, Glen had his arm around her waist, walking as closely as possible. "An' I am home now. Anywhere you are is home for me."

Yui's grin lit up the air around her. With this amazing guy by her side, she finally felt like the past was behind her, over and done. Nothing but the future remained.

THE END

_Thank you to everyone who's stuck it out, through reposts and site policy changes. It's been, eep!, 3 years since the REPOST started, which makes it closer to 5 years since this story was started. I never forgot Tasuki and Yui, and every time I listened to Rush, on CD or in concert (of which there's been 3 since starting this fic) I thought of them, and how to finish their story at last. And of course, they deserved a Happy Ending. Remember, all the chapter titles are songs by the band Rush, and I really recommend you look up the full lyrics to each. They really do add dimension to the story. _

_Thanks again to Kittylynne, OtakuPitcher, Roku Kyu, and all the reviewers._


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